


Kairos

by Monochrome17



Series: Of Mutants & Powers [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - High School, Multi, Mutant Powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-02
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-04-29 13:47:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5129903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monochrome17/pseuds/Monochrome17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mingyu’s answer seemed to catch the pink head’s attention as he felt eyes that scanned him once more, taking in his appearance - blue hair and dark chocolate orbs - before asking, “Mutant?” </p><p>“... Yea,” Mingyu who looked up to meet the gaze of the other could no longer be bothered to try being evasive. That male before could kill him for all he cared, Mingyu was simply too tired to care. </p><p>“You’re in luck, kiddo,” Those words left Mingyu confused as he stared blankly at the stranger who pulled out a device to contact someone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. #001

**Author's Note:**

> Context
> 
> In the rapidly development society, with the advancements of technology and sciences, the scientists of the mid-twentieth century had made a discovery - a gene that had been believed to provide human kind with their much wanted longevity. Eager to test the serum, a group of healthy teenagers were gathered and tested upon. Much to their disappointment, the testees might have displayed certain signs of being resistant to age-related diseases but they died at a ripe old age, none of them living past their hundreds. However, what did the scientist did not know was that the serum they had conceived was no longevity serum but instead it was a gene mutating serum where slowly over the years, it would cause the genes in the body to change.
> 
> In the late twentieth century, the first mutant appeared displaying traits which had been thought to be humanly impossible. The whole place wrecked beyond recognition, the male, Choi Younghan, made it into the headlines in the following days.
> 
> He was the first mutant, but definitely wasn't the last. Many more started to appear and all of them were met with the same downfall, an abrupt end to their new lives. The humans feared these mutants, calling them inhumane creatures, wanting them dead when the had been the very being who created them.
> 
> It is already the twenty-first century and the equality of both mutants and humans are stilled tipped and not yet balanced. There may be a call for equality from both parties but with the constant unrest caused in the society, the delicate balance of minimal peace may just tip and war will ensue.

The male could feel the seconds tick by as he stared at the device mounted to the side of the wall. Eyebrows furrowed in concentration, even in the cool air-conditioned environment, he could feel his sweat gather by the nape of his neck, trailing down the length of his back. He remembered a cellmate across him who had attempted the suicide mission of blowing up the device to get himself out only managed to set off the alarm which only landed him in hot water.

‘Red… Green- Ugh, which is it?’ The male groaned as he felt the current stop at the junction leading to two wires. He could feel the electricity waver at his indecision, cutting off the wrong wire would have meant writing his ending story right then. And no way he was ever doing that.

Closing his eyes, he let his instincts pick the path for the electricity, channelling them to the right. The high current channelled in the single direction was enough to melt the wire and the boy quickly removed his hand as he scooted backwards, waiting. The silence which engulfed the room in a tense blanket threatened to suffocate the male he allowed a few more second of heavy silence to pass.

Carefully prying himself from the wall which he had unknowingly pressed himself against, Mingyu carefully made his way towards the door. Eyeing it warily, he placed a hand upon the handle and turned it.

“What in the world?!” The words left his lips in a hushed and agitated scream when he realised - he may have shut the device down but he definitely did not earn his access out of the room. Stepping back, the tall male eyed the door with mild annoyance, his efforts and time had just been wasted on something absolutely useless. Wonderful.

Just then, Mingyu registered the shiny surface of the door as a grin tugged his lips - it was metal, he could work with that. A hand held out towards the metallic door, Mingyu pushed the remaining thoughts away as he placed his concentration upon the door.

Remember Mingyu, it is like tearing the door down with your bare hands. Now imagine pulling the door apart-

He heard the sound of the metal door bending against their will in under his power, eyes fluttering open, he was greeted with the sight of the door forcefully bent on the lower half to give him an escape route out of his room.

It was a mad dash towards where the male had hoped was the exit. His bare feet slapping against the cool marble flooring, through the semi-darkness, the male made out the shape of the door which he gladly entered. Met with a long flight of stairs,the male barely stifled his groan before descending it as quickly as his limbs would allow. By the time Mingyu reached the first floor, he had already become a panting mess, his muscles aching slightly from the repetitive motion.

Hand against the door, Mingyu gave himself a short moment to catch his breath, his eyes continuously surveying the area in fear that someone may strike an ambush upon him.

Suddenly, a loud ear piercing wail sounded. Taking off instantaneously, he could hear the blood rushing against his ears, he could feel his heart thumping too hard, too fast for someone who had only began his escape. It wasn’t too long before the heavy footsteps announced the arrival of the guards which spurred Mingyu to run even faster than he could even imagine. His feet contacting the cold floor twice as frequently as he did initially, he sped down the  waiting area of the building, passing down the sofas and empty counters, heading towards the door located right at the end.

“Subject 001317 hold your hands behind your head,” the voice reverberated from behind him.

Like heck he was going to do as the guard say. Not now, not when he was inches away from his goal.

Instead, he pushed on, heading towards the exit.

That was when the first bullet was fired. The metallic object flew right past him, missing his ear by millimetres and propelled itself right through the glass panels. Turning around, Mingyu’s vision was greeted with an entire line of guards with guns poised as they ran towards their target which was clearly him. Pulling his vision to face forward, he concentrated on keeping his limbs moving, he may not be able to see the bullets coming at him, but he could feel them.

Reaching the door, Mingyu spared one more glance behind before yanking the door to stumble out into the open. Fresh crisp air rushed forward to greet him placing a small smile upon his face but it wasn’t too long when the sense of urgency surpassed, making him start his run again.

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:*

Dressed in white shirt and slacks, calling him visible was understatement, camouflaging would literally asking white to blend with black, so he struck the idea out but instead continued with his head-on dash towards the direction where the city lights were.

The soles of his bare feet now rubbing against the rough and uneven surface of the gravel, Mingyu felt the friction placed blisters upon his soles. And the very friction had popped those blisters, leaving his raw skin rubbing mercilessly each time his sole contacted the ground. The stabbing pain against his feet soon numbed to a buzzing pain, indicating to him that his nerve tissue had been destroyed. A grimace tugged his lips as he felt himself struggle to maintain his original pace and he soon, unknowingly slowed his pace down.

“Damn,” It was the only word he manage to force out of his throat as he broke out into a full blown sprint once more. The spot of light that hit him, made it clear enough that the guards above him or behind him had found him through the darknesses.

Once Mingyu had reached the city, he quickly slipped into the nearest alley as he continued to move, well aware of the search lights that passed by him once every few minutes. Pressed against the wall, Mingyu poked his head out, his hair getting into his vision as he looked around for the bright spot of moving light before dashing across the road intending to gain some distance away fromt the building before find a place to hide and seek shelter for the night.

In a haste to get across, Mingyu had failed to register the passing person and rammed right into the other male. Eyes widening, he fell forward with no support for grip. Mingyu felt himself press his entire weight downwards. Startled, he quickly clambered off the clearly smaller male below him and was greeted with a look of disdain as the gaze raked him from head to toe. Getting nervous at the sharp gaze, Mingyu felt himself attempting to comb his hair before being startled by the white light that passed right by him.

The stranger who had opened his mouth ready to question had his mouth forced shut with Mingyu’s  hand as he quickly dragged the ombre pink-haired male into the shadows of the alley. Pressed against the male whose body had been sandwiched by Mingyu and the wall, they stayed in the position for a moment before the small male began to whine which was not heard by Mingyu who had his entire attention focused on looking out for the bright patch of lights that might sweep by any moment.

“O-Ouch. What was that for?” Mingyu, who promptly removed his hand at the sudden pain inflicted upon his fingers, hissed in a hushed whisper  as he cradled his ‘wounded’ hands against him, glaring at the stranger who had nearly sent hard work down the drain moments ago.

“First you crush me with that ridiculously large body of yours and next you are trying to suffocate me, so why can’t I bite you?” The stranger hissed as he checked himself, once in a while patting invisible specks of dust off his clothes.

“Well, you nearly reveal to them my position,” Mingyu who was too tired to play nice retorted haughtily as he crossed his arms.

“Them?” The stranger whose frown had been replaced by an inquisitive look, blinked as he stared ahead where the helicopters had went.

“The guards...” Mingyu replied tiredly as he sank down with his legs sprawled out, giving his feet his much needed break.

Mingyu’s answer seemed to catch the pink head’s attention as he felt eyes that scanned him once more, taking in his appearance - the blue hair and dark chocolate orbs -  before asking, “Mutant?”

“... Yea,” Mingyu who looked up to meet the gaze of the other could no longer be bothered to try being evasive. That male before could kill him for all he cared, Mingyu was simply too tired to care.

“You’re in luck, kiddo,” Those words left Mingyu confused as he stared blankly at the stranger who pulled out a device to contact someone.

“Captain, I have found a mutant, a rather big haul in fact,” The pink haired guy spoke into the device.

“No- I wasn’t slacking off, I mean he landed on me and even suffocated me-” He seemed to get agitated by whatever the person on the other side had been saying as his voice raised by a notch.

“Hey!” Mingyu who seemed to take offence at the stranger’s words protested weakly.

“So what do I do with … him?” Mingyu felt a glance cast in his direction before the eyes flickered upwards to stare out afar.

“Bring him back? You want me to bring this giant who just squashed  me back to the academy?”  Even from a distance, Mingyu could hear the groan in the other male’s voice.

“Yes, yes, I’ll bring him back and yes, in one piece,” Nodding, Mingyu watched as the other male sighed tiredly before sliding the device back into his pocket.

“Now, let’s go,” The pink haired male before the walking with his hands stuck deep in his pockets.

“Where are we going?” Mingyu gritted as he felt the stinging pain at the soles of his feet once more. Barely getting onto his toes, the taller boy had to force his sore limbs to move and followed the shorter stranger in front of him. “You can at least wait for me.”

“Slow,” The pink head stranger stopped and turned around as he stuck out his tongue before continuing to walk, “ And if you didn’t know, you are really heavy.”

“Well, you aren’t exactly that tall either,” he shrugged nonchalantly, failing to see the sharp gaze sent  his way before he was catapulted into the air, and flopping ungracefully onto the floor with a loud thud.

“Hey! How- What’s that for- O-Ok, I’ll stop, I’ll stop. Stop giving me that gaze, you’re scaring me,” Mingyu who had opened his mouth to retort, clamped his mouth shut at the gaze given by the shorter guy. That gaze was enough to give him the chills and it was almost baffling how someone so small and soft could harbour an inner demon.

“Good, now let’s get moving,” Even Mingyu who had just met the stranger could sense the malice behind that innocent smile sent in his direction.

“What a demon-” Mingyu could only mutter as he trudged after the him.

“I heard you, you know.”


	2. #002

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Mingyu.” The sound of his name being called along with the snapping of fingers before his face made the male blink as he quickly pulled his gaze to focus upon Mr. Han who was looking at him expectantly.
> 
> “Yes?” Lips pulled up into a sheepish grin, he saw the vice-principal sigh dramatically at his inattentiveness before the question was repeated, “Do you have any questions before we begin?”
> 
> “Ah, yes. Who am I going up against later?” Mingyu asked as he followed Mr. Han towards another metal door.
> 
> “That’s-” The older man smiled as he flipped the cover open to press the button as the door slid open upon command, “For you to find out.”

_“You are a brave boy, right Mingyu?”_

_The menacing smile that inched closer to him._

_His pleas, cries and wails that went unheard in the big white room._

_The fear as he watched the remaining distance close-_

_And, the sharp stab of pain of the pointed edge pressed into his flesh._

“NO!” Eyes snapping open, his sight was greeted with a blinding flash which made Mingyu squint as the blurry vision sharpened to reveal the fluorescent lights on the ceilings. A look of confusion pass his features as the male sat up quickly, his breathing a little unsteady from the nightmare he had. A wave of dizziness which hit him unexpectedly made Mingyu’s grip on his blanket tightened as a dry moan escaped his chapped lips. 

Distracted by the dizziness, the eighteen year old attempted to make sense of his surroundings which revealed to not be the big white room he had grown used to waking up in.

“Ah, you’re awake. Here, drink up.”

The voice made Mingyu turn as he found a cup held out towards him. Eyes lifting upwards, he found a dark orange haired male smiling in his direction. Eying the kindly-looking stranger, Mingyu extended a hand to grip the cup, taking it from the stranger.

“What is this?” Mingyu questioned as he brought the cup near his nose, taking an inquisitive sniff at its content.

“You don’t have to look so suspicious, it’s just water,” Mingyu could hear the chuckle in the other’s voice as he brought the cup to his lips, downing the contents gratefully, satisfying the thirsty at the back of his throat.

Once the last drop of one had been cleaned of the cup, Mingyu pulled the cup away and set it by the bedside table, before asking, “So… Why am I here?”

The other male who had taken a seat on the spare chair beside the bed smiled as he continued, “You don’t remember? Jihoon brought you back to the academy.”

“Jihoon?” Mingyu repeated at the unfamiliar name mentioned, attempting to recall a face to put with the name.

“That... Would be me,” a familiar voice which rang out from behind him made Mingyu turn to catch sight of the familiar pink head leaning against the doorframe. A look of realisation dawned upon Mingyu as the events from two nights ago came back to him. 

The next thing Mingyu knew, he was tugging the bed sheets off and pulling his feet towards him. Eyes staring at the soles of his feet, he felt his eyes widen significantly - they were perfectly fine, not a single wound or cut. A finger reaching out to press a tentative poke against his soles, it felt as fine as it looked and it baffled him since the last time he saw his legs they were in a utter bloody mess. Head snapping up with a look of confusion, his gaze switched between the two males before him and the silent question was immediately answered by another chuckle from the stranger.

“I’ve healed them, they are good as new now.”

“Oh- Wow. I mean, thank you!” Startled by the male’s words, Mingyu blinked before dipping his head into a bow to express his gratitude. Even bearing powers of his own, it still felt surreal to know that there had been others like himself and that he was not alone.

“By the way, I’m Jisoo,” The male held out a hand as he introduced himself with another charming smile, before adding with an after thought, “Joshua is fine too, if that’s easier for you.”

“I’m Mingyu! Thank you for taking care of me, Jisoo… Hyung?” The younger boy quickly shook the hand as names were being exchanged, the sentence ended as a question when Mingyu realise he wasn’t sure of how to address Jisoo. Seeing the older male nodding reassuring, Mingyu found himself breaking into a grin, returning Jisoo’s warm smile.

“Sorry to break this little get along session but the Principal wants to meet you,” Jihoon’s voice cut across sharply, the words were clearly directed towards Mingyu. 

“Jihoon-ah, we should let Mingyu rest, he just woke up,” Jisoo interjected, the slight tip of his lips downwards showed how he disapproved of the action.

“I am quite sure the giant has enough rest after two days straight of rest. Besides, you need the rest more, imagine if the Academy’s healer falls ill instead,” Nodding in the direction of the youngest, Jihoon’s words made the eldest give in as he simply nodded in reluctant agreement.

“Let’s go, Mingyu,” The shorter male called out as he headed towards the door of the room.

Hearing his name, Mingyu immediately clambered off the bed only to be stopped by Jihoon’s exasperated sigh, “Wear your shoes, idiot.”

“Shoes?” Mingyu who was halfway the door stopped to look down at his bare feet before turning back to spy the pair of shoes resting by the side of the bed.

“Well, I’m sorry. I’ve gotten used to walking around barefooted, is there a problem with that?” Mingyu muttered as he slipped on the pair of shoes before jogging lightly out of the room, the door closing behind him.

“Yes, there is so get rid of that habit,” Jihoon waved a hand in the air, signalling the end to the meaningless conversation.

“He heard me...” Mingyu mumbled to himself as he trailed after the shorter male.

“Yes I did. So stop speaking your mind out loud, I can hear every single thing, my powers allow me to do so,” Came the reply to Mingyu’s soft mumble.

“You could have at least told me earlier and save me the trouble of trying to figure out,” Mingyu muttered bitterly as he stared at the orange head in front of him.

“Well, you didn’t ask.” A glance backwards meeting Mingyu’s eyes and a nonchalant shrug before the older male continued to walk. 

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* 

Despite his initial nervousness, Mingyu realised that not all principals were like how books had depicted them - scary and overly unreasonable. Instead the meeting with the Academy’s Principal went pretty smoothly if one would overlook the lack of answers on Mingyu’s side.

And the talk with Principal Jang made Mingyu realise just how much he didn’t know about himself - who his parents were, how he got his powers and much less even his own blood type. Leaving the room with Jihoon, Mingyu felt a tang of dissatisfaction at his little knowledge of his personal matters. And what more bugged him was how he had never wondered about such questions in the past until today. 

Pushing the thoughts aside, Mingyu turned to look at the older who was walking by his side, bringing him to the next location, “Where are we heading next?”

“Questions as always- And to answer your question, we are going to get your abilities checked,” Jihoon merely shook his head before informing the male.

“Eh? So quickly?” The mention of testing out his abilities got Mingyu nervous, “You mean I don’t get to prepare?”

“Prepare?” Jihoon who had turned to look Mingyu gave the younger an incredulous look, “What do you want to prepare? Or, more like what can you even prepare for?”

“Um- You can…” Mingyu’s words faltered as nothing particular came to mind, dragging his words before he finally relented, “Wellll, youuu cannnnnn… Ummmmm- Fine, fine! There’s nothing to prepare for but I’ve just got here today…”

“Every student did the test on the first day. And correction, you came here two days ago,” The excuse was dismissed within seconds leaving the younger with nothing to whine since Jihoon’s tone held a finality that either ways he was still taking the ability test that day whether he liked it or not.

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:*  


Once Mingyu set foot into the room, he was immediately greeted by a black haired man who proudly introduced himself as the vice-principal of ability control of the academy. Giving the younger no time to process everything else he had said, Mr. Han quickly brought Mingyu through a quick run-through of the ability test, breaking down how the marking was done and explained to him how his grade in this test would ultimately decide which ability class he would be joining. 

By the middle of the long-winded explanation, Mingyu’s attention had long diverted to his surroundings which had proved to be more interesting than the droning of the middle-aged man. In the spacious room from where he was standing, he could see two more students within the same walls. A black haired male with a baby face matched a surprisingly masculine build (given the distance Mingyu couldn’t quite tell if it was just his eyesight or if the black haired male really had a baby face) leaning against the wall as he conversed with Jihoon, their gestures were rapid and animated as one or two glances were sent his way. Another male with shoulder length ombre purple locks was busying himself with the cluttered table on the other end of the room.

“Mingyu.” The sound of his name being called along with the snapping of fingers before his face made the male blink as he quickly pulled his gaze to focus upon Mr. Han who was looking at him expectantly.

“Yes?” Lips pulled up into a sheepish grin, he saw the vice-principal sigh dramatically at his inattentiveness before the question was repeated, “Do you have any questions before we begin?”

“Ah, yes. Who am I going up against later?” Mingyu asked as he followed Mr. Han towards another metal door.

“That’s-” The older man smiled as he flipped the cover open to press the button as the door slid open upon command, “For you to find out.”

Suppressing a groan at the vice-principal’s words, Mingyu could only grumble internally of how teachers had always loved the element of surprise and it was no different in this academy. Looking around, the male was greeted with a distinctly familiar white room. Pushing the thoughts aside, a voice came through the overhead speaker by the corner of the room, “Kim Mingyu, can you hear me?”

“Yeah,” The blue-haired male nodded as he gave the vice-principal an ‘okay’ sign with his hand. 

“Your opponent will be entering now. You can begin once the door closes,” Instructions were given as the door slid open to reveal a lanky black-haired male. Blinking, Mingyu took in the short black hair, the set of cold eyes and lips pressed into a thin line. Maybe it was the sharp features or the carefully neutral look on his face but the male who had just entered screamed emo. 

Now standing face to face with the slightly shorter stranger, Mingyu could feel the uncomfortable silence hanging between them heightened by the pairs of watchful eyes on the other side of the window. In the middle of contemplating of he should strike out first, Mingyu felt the still air shift as the other male dealt his first move. Dropping into a defensive stance, Mingyu quickly side-stepped the other male moving backwards to give himself some distance. Eying the other male warily, he watched as a mass of darkness began to gather around the male’s fingers morphing under command to form a long katana. 

Mirroring each other’s footstep, neither made a move to attack, watchful eyes placed upon the other waiting for the other to initiate the next attack. Tired of waiting, the other male lunged forward , his katana swinging down. Eyes widening at the head-on approach of the katana, Mingyu immediately scuttled back, his back meeting sharply with the wall. 

Glancing down, Mingyu found himself gaping at the sight he saw. His brand new shirt now wore a long slit down the middle, the loose ends flapping open as his skin was greeted by the cool air of the room. Head snapping up, confused orbs staring at the other male, Mingyu muttered, “How- What did you do?”

Not too far away, the black haired male who lifted his head to glance at Mingyu, chose to leave the question hanging as the katana in his hand was raised once more into the air. Each skillful swing of the sharp blade missed Mingyu by millimeters but not without leaving a mark in the form of a sharp sting as yet another cut appeared on his body. Mingyu’s plan on avoiding the attacks had him running all over the perimeters of the small room which only served to tire him out and at the same time increase the number of blow taken upon by his now battered body. 

Being reduced into a panting mess, Mingyu, who had stupidly took the liberty of being unable to see his opponent as a sign that he could take a break, was knocked face flat onto the white floor from the unforeseen attack from behind. Gritting his teeth at the sharp knock against his shoulder blade, Mingyu could only lift his head to face the opponent who towered over his sprawled body with the katana positioned dangerously close to his neck. 

The unsaid threat resounded clear even without the other speaking - A single move and his head would be cleanly detached from its body.

“Kim Mingyu, we are not here to play catch, use your damn powers-”

The principal’s words were cut off abruptly through the broadcasting system as a sudden spark burst from the Mingyu’s outstretched fingers. The black haired male who was caught unaware quickly pulled his katana away before swinging the weapon down to fend himself of the attack.

Mingyu’s eyes narrowed slightly at the sight before him, the sight made him smile triumphantly, “I’ve… Finally figured out how your powers work.” 

The bolt of electricity which produced a shadow against the white ground was dissipated with the katana cutting through its shadow but not through the physical being. However when the electricity made contact with the katana, the katana disappeared instead. It was then did Mingyu realise that he wasn’t his physical body that he needed to protect but it was his shadow since the blade passed through his physical body like air but cuts hard in his flesh once it touched his shadow. 

Sending a series of bright bolts of electricity in the direction of his opponent, Mingyu quickly sent this time a white, glowing ball crackling with electricity straight towards his opponent’s moving katana. The ball of electricity generated light landed right in the direction of the opponent’s physical katana, the blade dissipating once it contacted the white ball of electricity. Wasting no time, Mingyu pushed himself forward to latch his hands onto the other’s wrist and pinned them against the wall, successfully gaining the upperhand in the combat.

“Test end!” 

The call was given as Mingyu who was caught up in the duel blinked his hold loosening as he turned to look at the window where the vice-principal had proceeded to press the button which opened the door to the room.

Feeling the male below him shift and pull away from his grip, Mingyu quickly released his hold and moved away for the other to get up before following the dark-haired male out of the room.

“For a victor, you look really pathetic,” as soon as he got out of the room, a snarky comment met his ears and Mingyu didn’t need to look to know that it was the ombre pink-haired male.

For once, Mingyu had agreed with Jihoon, he didn’t feel as great as the victory was, he may have had the upperhand at the end but he had his ass kicked much more than he managed to kick ass. In fact, scratch that, he didn’t even manage to inflict any damage on the other male other than disppating his weapon.

A tired sigh and a wave of his hand, Mingyu mumbled, “Yea, yea, I know that, I feel so too.”

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:*  


After the test, Mingyu was brought back to the where he watched with fascination as his cuts and wounds magically closed up and disappeared from his body under Jisoo’s healing touch. By then, Mingyu was already convinced that Jisoo wasn’t just any mutant but an angel that had descended from heaven. Unlike Jihoon who only made his mood worse with the blunt reality and harsh truths, the visit to Jisoo’s place managed to lift his mood. 

“Stop humming, would you?” Jihoon muttered as he accompanied the younger into the lift.

“Is there a problem?” Mingyu who belted out his words in a random melody only to make Jihoon cringe harder.

“You sound really bad, so stop,” Jihoon who leaned against the metal wall groaned as he rubbed his temples.

“Hey!” Mingyu retorted, taking offence to that comment but it successfully shut the taller male up who refused to let his ego be harmed any further.

Once the lift reached the seventeenth storey, the doors slid open and the two males stepped out to be greeted with the long aisle of doors. Glancing down at the key in hand, the two males walked down door after door, scanning the number plate as they pass.

Stopping before a door, Mingyu was here - his own dorm. Waving goodbye to Jihoon who left him to head back to his own dorm, Mingyu turned to check the number imprinted on the wooden door once more - #17400.

Fitting the key into the knob, he turned the metal object and hear a satisfying click which gained him to access into the room. Pushing the door open, he stepped into the room. Spotting a figure by the bed, Mingyu quickly hurried off with the intention of greeting his new dorm mate.

Once the face of the person came into view, Mingyu felt his jaw go slack as he stuttered, “Y-You! From before-”  
Shock had robbed him of his speech leaving Mingyu standing there as he stared wide-eyed at the familiar dark-haired male with an emo appearance from moments ago.  


The other male who was sprawled out on the bed simply looked up from his laptop as he gave a lazy wave, “Hey.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because the account came was done up a week late, the second chapter is already done up, so two chapters in a day for today and JR thinks that the ability test turned out weird at the end, what do you all think? As always, comments are welcomed. And, we shall promise more meanie moments in the third chapter (even when we haven't written it out yet ;;;). Continue to give this story your support, thank you~
> 
> \- Nana & JR


	3. #003

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “This is not honing your skills, it’s putting your life at risk-” Mingyu who sat beside Chan as they watched their teacher went through the details of their course. She mentioned something about how each course was adjusted to suit the abilities of each students but Mingyu couldn’t be quite sure, not when he was gripped with anxiety and nervousness at what was heading right at him.
> 
> “Hyung… You can’t get hurt in an empty room- It’s a virtual,” Chan who brushed aside Mingyu’s concern caught sight of the apprehensive look on the older’s face before he added, “It isn’t real- I mean, for god’s sake, it’s only a simulation room.”
> 
> “Something may still go wrong-” Mingyu mumbled as he saw the first student stand up to enter the room. 
> 
> “Well if you’re paranoid enough then maybe yes.”
> 
> “It’s called being careful, Chan.”
> 
> “Yes, yes whatever you say, hyung.”

_The other male who was sprawled out on the bed simply looked up from his laptop as he gave a lazy wave, “Hey.”_

_“Um- Hey…?” It was only after a moment of heavy silence between Mingyu broke it with an uncertain smile on his face._

_The other who shifted himself into an upright position was now sitting with his back against the the headboard of his bed chuckled at Mingyu’s nervousness, “We’re going to be roommates, no need to be so awkward around me, I don’t bite.”_

_“Mhm… I guess so...” Mingyu, who was still tongue tied from the realisation that he was going to be rooming with the opponent who had nearly beheaded him in the duel moments ago, could only nod dumbly. Blinking rapidly as he pushed away the bugging thoughts, Mingyu hastily stuck out a hand as he introduced, “I’m Kim Mingyu.”_

_“And, I’m Jeon Wonwoo,” The other who took Mingyu’s hand into a firm shake, shot a brief smile in the other’s direction before adding, “Let’s get along well, Mingyu.”  
_

_“M-Mhm, yea. Let’s get along well.”_

And after that rather awkward conversation, Wonwoo simply returned his attention back onto his laptop, with headphones over his ears, which got across to Mingyu pretty clearly - he wanted his personal space and time. With no one to talk to and nothing else to entertain himself with, Mingyu ended up heading off to bed a few hours earlier than his usual bed time.

Last evening was awkward, the meeting with his dorm mate was the perfect definition of awkwardness, Mingyu was nothing but a bundle of nervousness and awkwardness and the very thought of yesterday evening could only made him let out a long sigh.

“Anymore sighing and you will start to get wrinkles,” Jihoon who cast a sideway glance at the younger by his side, merely shook his head, “It’s only the start of the morning and you’re already sighing, what’s wrong with you?”

Eyes sliding over to look over at the ombre pink haired male, Mingyu muttered, “By any chance… Can I change roommates?” 

“What kind of question is that?” Jihoon, who had officially became Mingyu’s guide for the time being until the younger is comfortable getting around the campus, raised a questioning brow at his words.

“I don’t think I can survive another day if every day is going to be as awkward as yesterday evening,” Mingyu groaned as both of them threaded their way through the crowd towards Mingyu’s classroom.

“Ah- Wonwoo-hyung,” Jihoon who paused momentarily to think before snapping his fingers when he found the name he was searching for. “He’s always like that, give him time and trust me, you won’t believe what is hiding under that emo mask of his,” Jihoon would took the liberty of comforting Mingyu to land two hard smacks on the younger’s shoulder blade.

“A-Ah- Owww, what’s that for, hyung?” Mingyu who was not expecting the slaps on his back, stumbled forward, nearly bumping into another student, turn to glare at the shorter male.

“A pat of encouragement,” Jihoon shot Mingyu yet another ‘innocent’ smile before continuing to walk. 

“Ugh- Such a demon. And what do you mean he is always like that?” Mingyu who rolled his shoulders, feel the tingling sensation fade as he widened his pace to catch up with Jihoon who was slightly ahead of him.

“Well-” 

“Who’s that ‘he’ both of you are talking about?” A sudden voice popped from behind the two startling Mingyu who jumped slightly at the voice.

“You shouldn’t leave us out on gossips. Come on, come on, tell us what were you two talking about.” Another voice chimed in before Mingyu caught a loud groan from Jihoon beside him.

“Go away, Soonyoung-” Jihoon muttered as he struggled the push the arm flung over his shoulder.

“I feel so loved, Jihoonie,” The ombre green-haired teenager cooed at the shorter male before jumping away quickly, narrowly missing the swat aimed at his arm. 

Mingyu raised a questioning brow at the duo who had seemed to caught up in a tiff hear another voice appearing beside him, “Don’t mind them, it’s the usual lover’s spat.”

“Zip it before I do it for you, Seokmin-” Jihoon spat as he this time attempted to peel the other male who had latched onto him with a pout.

“Ah… So, they are a couple…?” Mingyu who had grown quiet for the few minutes spoke up.

“We are!”

“We aren’t-”

“Are!”

“Aren’t.”

“We are, we are, we are!”

“I swear, Kwon Soonyoung-”

“Wait! On a second thought, I don’t want to know anymore-” Mingyu who held up a hand muttered.

The two teenagers in each other’s hold looked at Mingyu before Jihoon use that momentary pause to escape from the ombre green haired male by the name of Soonyoung. Smoothing down the invisible creases on his clothes, Jihoon muttered, “That’s much better.”

“You could at least look more excited seeing me-” Soonyoung who returned the glare of the shorter male turned to look at Mingyu as he broke out into grin, “Anyways… Kwon Soonyoung’s the name, it’s nice to finally meet the new kid.”

“I’m Mingyu, it’s good to meet one of Jihoon’s friends too,” Mingyu cast a grin at the other male before returning to fist bump held out to him. 

“And, I’m Seokmin, you can recognise me by my voice,” The golden brown haired male piqued from Mingyu side and offered a bright gum smile which Mingyu found himself returning.

Just when Mingyu was about to ask more, a shrill bell cut through the chattering of the corridors before the noise died down by a notch as students began to make their way back into the respective classrooms.

“Ah, the bell. We should get going before Professor comes, let’s go, Jihoon! And see you two around!” Soonyoung who had grabbed Jihoon by the arm began tugging him away from his spot. Mingyu watched two figures grow smaller with the shorter male being dragged behind and even from the little time he knew Jihoon, Mingyu could already imagine the glare he was giving to Soonyoung.

“Well my tour guide is officially gone- And I have no clue to where the hell class 3C is,” Mingyu who turned back to the folder in hand sighed exasperatedly.

“Did I hear you say class 3C?” Seokmin asked as his lips tilted up in the beginning of a grin.

“Year 3, Class C. That’s what the paper say - class 3C. Why?” Mingyu’s brow creased slightly in confusion at the sudden interest in the tone of the other male.

“Let’s get along well then,” Seokmin who threw his arm around Mingyu before pulling him towards a door not too far away.

“Eh? W-Wait-” Mingyu who was startled by the other’s action felt himself being led by Seokmin with no time to stop get away.

By then, the door had already been flung open to reveal a rather lively class behind the door, Seokmin who turned to grin at Mingyu, “Welcome to Class 3C, Mingyu.”

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:*

The bell came to a huge relief for Mingyu who fared relatively well for most of his morning classes apart from growing sleepy during the middle of his stretch of lessons. The lessons were less monstrous than he had imagine. Being schooled privately by a tutor who would visit him timely every day back in the past, Mingyu expected himself to be falling behind for his classes. Instead, it was the reverse of what he had expected, he realised he was a relatively ahead of the other students which may be a good thing but  
“Is he always like that?” Mingyu asked as he leaned back against the backrest of his chair as a yawn escaped his lips.

“You mean Mr. Kim? Saying how he is prettier than all girls and dissing students instead of being an encouraging teacher? Yea, sad to say but he is,” Seokmin who had made his way over to Mingyu’s desk chuckled at the groan that left Mingyu’s lips in response to his answer.

“I swear he is the biggest narcissist I have ever seen, ” Mingyu who stood up from his seat with the chair scraping the floor grabbed his things and tossed them into the bag he carried.

“Trust me, you haven’t seen the worst,” Seokmin let out yet another hearty laugh before pushing Mingyu out of the classroom, “Come on, I’m starving, let’s get going.”

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:*

“That was food heaven, ” That was all Mingyu could utter as he stepped out of the cafeteria as he rubbed his stomach with a satisfied grin.

“You sound like a kid being starved for years,” Seokmin commented as he lifted his drink to his mouth to take another gulp at its content as the two made their way out of the cafeteria.

“I’m growing- I need the food,” Mingyu defended himself as he took another bite at the hot dog roll he had gotten in the moment of impulse. But, hey, it was good food, who could resist it?

“Like you need anymore height anyways,” Seokmin rolled his eyes before he released his grip on the empty can. Mingyu who was about to comment about littering before he watch the tin can disappear in mid air before the sound of an item being dropped into the rubbish bin was heard from slightly ahead. 

“What did you just-” Mingyu looked back and forth between the rubbish bin and Seokmin who burst out into another fit of laughter, “You won’t believe me if I say magic, would you?”

“What do you take me for? A kid?” Mingyu deadpanned with an unimpressed look. At this age of the world, magic was nothing but a trick of the eye, it was pale in comparison to the actual powers wielded.

“It’s my ability - teleportation, and time travel too,” Seokmin chuckled at the look sent his way before adding with a wink, “Don’t get me angry or I’ll teleport you back into another era.”

“Neat,” Mingyu whistled at Seokmin’s powers, before he added with a grin, “Not if I can fry you crisp with my powers first.”

“Is that a challenge?” Seokmin raised a brow at Mingyu as he broke into another large competitive smile.

“You can consider it as one,” Mingyu who chuckled when he caught sight of the classroom he was headed for - the intermediate class. 

“What challenge are you two talking about?” Another voice which popped up from Mingyu’s side made the blue haired male turn to see a black-haired male who had got himself latched into the back of Seokmin with his legs wrapped tightly around the other’s waist.

“Chan- It’s great to see you? How’s little Channie doing today?” Seokmin broke into a wide smile at the voice as he twisted his neck slightly to look at the younger teen as a hand reached out to ruffle the other boy’s head lightly.

“Don’t call me little-” The black haired male protested with a pout as he jumped off the other’s back. Feeling eyes turn to look at him, Mingyu found himself casting what he hoped was a confident smile in the black-haired male’s direction.

“Hyung, introduce me to your friend,” The younger boy probed the golden browned haired male who nodded as he began, “Chan, this is Kim Mingyu, he’s my classmate. And Mingyu, this is Lee Chan, the little giant.” 

“Hey Mingyu hyung,” Chan who broke into a full smile as he gave a short wave in Mingyu’s direction.

“And, tell me more about the challenge, I am alway up for a duel,” Chan continued eagerly as he walked close to the other two.

“Another time, Channie,” Seokmin who reached out to ruffled the younger’s hair chuckled before patting Mingyu on the shoulder and pushing Chan lightly forward towards the door, “Now off to class, shoo shoo.”

“Let’s go, I guess, Mingyu-hyung?” Chan who had nodded at Seokmin’s words turned to Mingyu whosehead snapped up at the sound of his name before he hastily walked towards the door that the younger had held open for him.

“See you, hyung.”

“Have fun at class, Mingyu.”

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:*

“Mingyu-sshi! Mingyu! Kim Mingyu!”

“W-What?!” Mingyu’s head shot up at his name being called as he looked around wildly to catch sight of his teacher who had walked up to his desk.

“How was your sleep?” half groggy with sleep, Mingyu could only nod at the tight smile sent his direction from the teacher as he mumbled, “Mhm, it’s good.”

That answer was enough to set off a roar of laughter which only made the the teacher fume as he stalked off the gather his materials before leaving the class stiffly while muttering a string of incomprehensible words.

“I can’t believe that you actually did that-” Chan laughed and patted Mingyu by the shoulder. Mingyu on the other hand had let his head drop as his forehead contact the table as a another groan escaped his lips, “Why… What did I just do… Why did I do that?”

“Cheer up, hyung and let’s move on to the next class,” Chan tugged at Mingyu’s arm and when Mingyu didn’t budge Chan began to whine, “Hyung we are going to be late. I never knew you are such a goody goody two shoes, hyunnggg.”

“Yah! I’m not!” Mingyu who shot up to to shoot an indignant glare at Chan who burst out into another fit of laughters.

“But you are! I mean look at you, you were sulking after Mr. Lee told you off.”

“Am not.”

“You are, and let’s get going- Get up, Giant! And how do you even get that tall, anyways?” Chan who took the chance to grab Mingyu dragged the taller male out out of his seat into the next class.

“I can walk, don’t need to drag me. And what do you mean by how I get this tall? I just eat-” Mingyu who trudged after the younger raised an inquisitive brow at the other’s question.

“You don’t say...” Chan muttered as he threw another glance in Mingyu’s direction before continue to tug the older boy in the direction the their next lecture venue.  
“If eating was the reason, I would at least be taller than this.”

“Suck it up, kid.”

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:*

“This is not honing your skills, it’s putting your life at risk-” Mingyu who sat beside Chan as they watched their teacher went through the details of their course. She mentioned something about how each course was adjusted to suit the abilities of each students but Mingyu couldn’t be quite sure, not when he was gripped with anxiety and nervousness at what was heading right at him.

“Hyung… You can’t get hurt in an empty room- It’s a virtual,” Chan who brushed aside Mingyu’s concern caught sight of the apprehensive look on the older’s face before he added, “It isn’t real- I mean, for god’s sake, it’s only a simulation room.”

“Something may still go wrong-” Mingyu mumbled as he saw the first student stand up to enter the room. 

“Well if you’re paranoid enough then maybe yes.”

“It’s called being careful, Chan.”

“Yes, yes whatever you say, hyung.”

Mingyu found himself staring at the wide window as students entered to white room. From the glance window it seemed like the students were fighting air, throwing attacks at invisible opponents and to be honest, it was almost hilarious watching them. The course lasted for barely a minute but each student came out panting and sweating lightly.  
It was also then where Mingyu found out about Chan’s powers - shape shifting. Or, metamorphosis which Chan had insisted calling his powers by since it felt more sophisticated. Mingyu felt his jaw grow slack at how rapidly the younger shifted through the minute he was in the simulation room and it made him regret snickering at Chan’s powers for a caterpillar going through metamorphosis to become a butterfly. But hey, it’s true wasn’t it?

Once Chan stepped out of the simulation room, Mingyu heard his name and responded almost immediately as he stood up stiffly and made his way towards where the teacher stood.

Before he stepped into the simulation room, Mingyu felt a light pat his shoulder as Chan mumbled a quick ‘good luck’ before heading back to his seat. And that small encouragement from the younger was enough to steel the older’s nerves as he stepped into the familiar white room. For that split second, Mingyu swore that he nearly wanted to believe that magic really existed especially when seemingly white room was suddenly transformed into a steel box room, heavy with metal. It was the only empty feeling that surrounded Mingyu which made the male realise how this was really just a simulation. When nearly metals, he would feel the strange buzz prickling his skin. 

The sudden movement which Mingyu turn sharply to face whatever approaching head on, it was greeted by a flash of silver before the moving beings came to an abrupt halt before him, successfully trapping Mingyu who had instead of reacting to the impending danger stood there fascinated by the robot like beings. 

It was only after the flash of bright yellow which missed him by inches did Mingyu stepped out of his stupor as he dodge past the attack. For a simulation, it was rather real since he could feel the heat of the attack which zipped past him as it got absorbed by the walls of the room. Eyes narrowing in concentration, the eighteen year old lowered his stance before a bolt of white crackling electricity left his fingertips, striking one of the robots on the chest, making it stumble back in response. Using that split second of disruption, Mingyu got himself out of that perfect barricade around him before sending a few more bolts of electricity in the direction of the circle of robots only to be rebounded by the yellow electricity attack generated from the robots.

A growl of annoyance at his attacks being blocked, long range attacks were not of any help in inflicting damage at his opponents. The memory of yesterday flashed past his mind, how Wonwoo had used shadow to form his weapon aiding him with close range attacks. It was his only option left and he wanted to at least leave a better impression than yesterday. 

His insane plan had two options - it could work perfectly well or it could be just the trigger to utter destruction. Deciding to go with his only option left, Mingyu imagined the ball of electricity lengthen and thinned out into a sharp edge. Finger curling around what he felt was a handle, Mingyu looked down and a grin spread across his face, it was just the weapon he needed - a whip. Flicking the weapon, Mingyu felt the crackling electricity flow under his palm as the weapon contacted the ground sharply with the mix of the sound of electricity crackling and the sound of leather whip hitting against a solid object.

Swinging his weapon, the flexible whip struck out quickly in the direction of the robots, hitting them sharply across the chest, the impact causing the robots to stumble heavily backwards with some barely able to hold their bearings upon the unexpected attack. 

Feeling the satisfaction of taking down each robot like dominos, the robots began to drop to the ground like broken toys and soon he came down to the final robot standing in the mass of broken limbs and parts of the robot with visible broken wires where sparks of electricity would crackle in the air before dying off.

A grin tugging his lips, Mingyu raised his weapon intending to smack the weapon down hard only to feel his grip loosen at the sudden surprise attack from behind, sending him lunging forward before falling down to the ground in a coughing mess. 

He had gotten careless again, leaving his back unguarded and leaving his vulnerable spot open for his opponent. The sharp sizzling pain which past through his body triggered something within him. 

_“We’re testing your tolerance level, it’s going to hurt just a little-”_

_Lies. Filthy lies. Foul mouths that spew nothing but utter lies._

He recognised the pain that course through his body, it was just the same as before. His breathing which had turned into short uneven gasps, chest heaving with laboured breaths, the male’s eyes dilated as a sense of hysteria passed his features. Mouth opening into a silent cry, Mingyu could hear the the ringing in his ears, the repetitive sound rang like white noise and pushed the male closer to the edge and nearer towards insanity. 

“G-Go away,” The choked cry escaped the male’s constricted throat as his hands clenched tightly, willing for the noise, the pain, the images to just disappear.

_The metal cuffs digging into his flesh against his useless struggle-_

_The soundless desperate cry to the man in white across the window-_

_Pleas that went unheard along with the tortured scream that left his chapped lips-_

With images continue to flash past him and the advancing approach of the robot, Mingyu legs kicked uselessly, collapsing with any added pressure. Tear of desperation gathering, Mingyu’s too arms gave way as he sunk down to the floor, shaking, squeezing his eyes shut, “Stop, p-please...”  
No one heard him. It had always been the case. 

Another bolt of electricity which missed him by merely inches made Mingyu flinch, the smell of singed air filled his sense and his last strand of thinly hanging sanity snapped. 

“STOP! PLEASE!” the hysterical scream left Mingyu’s lips before he curled inwards into a tight ball as a broken sob escaped his lips, tears escaped loose as he sucked in another shaky breath as another plea escaped his lips, “I-I had enough s-s-so stop… please- I beg you...”

Silence washed over the room, surrounding the male with a serene peace. The images faded into nothing, the ringing white noise disappeared without a trace leaving a deathly silence in its wake. The trembles which had wrecked his body calmed as his fists unclenched, revealing moon-shaped marks stained bloody from his nails digging into his flesh. Eyes cracking open, the mild darkness his sight was greeted with soothed his pounding heart as the male finally got himself into an upright position. 

Blank eyes surveying his surroundings, Mingyu blinked as he took in the white and empty room, failing to register the destructed state the room was in - walls dented outwards, monitor screens blacked out, windows shattered, wires dangling dangerously from the ceilings.

“Hyung! Mingyu-hyung!” The blue haired male felt a shake by his shoulder as his eyes flickered up to look at the bright concerned eyes boring back at his. Registering the face, Mingyu felt himself blink as he shook his head to clear his thoughts. Offering a shaky smile, Mingyu found himself patting the younger male lightly by the shoulder as he heard himself say, “I’m alright, Chan. Just… A little shaken.”

“But- You- Just now- What happened?” The younger male protested with no actual sentence forming with the shock of the unexpected situation that had unfolded before his eyes. Pushing himself off the ground, Mingyu felt himself sway slight when on his twos, “I’m fine, I am alright so don’t worry.”

The younger which had followed his actions immediately placed an around the older’s waist for support. Grateful for Chan’s support Mingyu offered a weak smile in Chan’s direction as the younger male helped Mingyu out of the room. 

“Ms Oh, may I bring Mingyu-hyung back to rest?” Chan called out to the female teacher who hurried towards the duo. 

“Yes, please do, Chan-ssi,” Ms Oh nodded worriedly before he placed a comforting hand on Mingyu’s shoulder before patting it lightly. The small gesture was enough to put Mingyu, more at ease as he with the help of Chan, made his way out of the lecture venue.

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:*

As I have said for the billionth time- I am fine. I guess I really panicked back there and screwed it up big time,” Mingyu, who took another bite at the chocolate brownie, chewed slowly under the watchful eyes of the younger male.

It took Mingyu a few good minutes before he finally snapped out of his trance like state and the free treat of brownies from Chan did the job of soothing his nerves.

“But why the sudden panic attack though?” Chan questioned as his fingers drummed lightly on the table of the empty cafeteria. Instead of heading back to Mingyu’s dorm, Chan had brought Mingyu to the cafeteria to get a quick bite despite his teacher’s instructions of getting Mingyu back into the dorm to rest up.

Shrugging at the younger’s question, Mingyu placed the last piece of the chocolate brown chunk into his mouth, before folding the paper holder and disposed it into the bin. The broken shreds of memories which haunted him had never made sense, his mind didn’t remember what had happened but his body definitely did.

Hands in his pocket, Mingyu and Chan began to make their way to the dormitory. To make up for the awkward silence and as well as to convince the younger that he was really alright, Mingyu found himself blabbering about his day and also his wooes of the awkwardness between Wonwoo and himself.

Half way through speaking, Mingyu watched, Chan who seemed to remember something and left Mingyu hastily with a quick word, “Hyung… I err have something to do! Can you get back to the dorm yourself? I’m so sorry!”

“Ahaha, it’s fine, go on ahead then,” Mingyu shooed the younger male with a soft smile before calling out to the disappearing figure, “Thank you for today though!”

The younger who turned around to do the ‘okay’ disappeared around the bend. Seeing that Chan had left, Mingyu slotted his hands into his pockets as he began to make his way towards where the dorms were located. The thought of having to spend another awkward evening with Wonwoo made Mingyu sigh a little.

Just then, a bark from slightly ahead caught his attention, head tilting slightly at the bark, Mingyu who had gotten curious increased his pace as he approached the corner to be greeted with a dog standing before another male who had himself pressed tightly against the tree in a futile attempt to widen the little distance between himself and the animal.  
A slightly closer look and a short laugh escaped Mingyu’s lips - it was none other than his roommate - Jeon Wonwoo. Jogging lightly over to the older male, Mingyu greeted the older casually, “Hey, hyung.”

Wonwoo whose gaze was pre-occupied with staring warily at the dog before him tore his gaze away long enough to look in the direction of the voice as he greeted back, “A-Ah, hey, M-Mingyu.”

Now closer to the dog, Mingyu noticed that the dog was a Siberian Husky with pretty chocolate orbs who let out another bark when Mingyu met its sharp gaze. Moving closer to the dog, Mingyu held out a hand which the dog immediately pressed his muzzle towards as a friendly lick was delivered at the expense of his palm. Taking it as a sign of acceptance, Mingyu bent down to run his fingers through the soft fur of the dog as he felt a gaze behind him, watching.

“Hyung, is this your dog? I didn’t know that we can have pets,” Mingyu began to stretch the dog by the back of its ears as he cast a curious glance in Wonwoo’s direction.

“Why would I want a dog?” Wonwoo who raised a questioning brow at Mingyu direction before he added, “We aren’t allowed to, but I guess there will still be some rule breakers around.”

Judging from the male’s apprehensive tone, Mingyu found himself grinning as he teased the older, “Hyung, don’t tell me… That you are actually scared of dogs?” Lifting the dog up into his arms, Mingyu held the dog before Wonwoo who instinctively backtracked a few metres from Mingyu.

“So, you’re not denying it, hyung?” Mingyu called out to the older who simply ignored the younger’s question with a huff.

“Oh come on, hyung. Dogs are so cute, how can you not like them?” Mingyu chuckled at Wonwoo’s disgusted expression.

“You mean that animal who drools and sheds fur all over the place is cute? You have to be kidding me-” Wonwoo scoffed as he eyed the dog warily, ignoring the kicked look it was now giving him.

It was a moment of silence before the eighteen year old asked, “Hyung, do you trust me?”

Startled by the sudden question, Wonoo blinked slightly before he stuttered out, “Y-Yea, I guess.”

“Then-Don’t move from your position,” Mingyu said as he began to approach the older male who had visibly tensed up at the approaching animal.

Once close enough, Mingyu placed the dog back into the ground, mildly surprised by how obedient the dog was. A hand reaching out to grab Wonwoo’s hand, Mingyu tugged Wonwoo close to him, towards the direction of where the dog was. The resistance gradually weakened and Wonwoo was now standing stiffly next to Mingyu as the dog got even closer, tail wagging excitedly.

“You know what? I think I’ve changed my mind,” Wonwoo began to retract his hand from Mingyu’s grip only to feel the fingers around his tightened around him.

“Trust me, it won’t bite,” Mingyu who motioned for Wonwoo to squat down with a slight tug of the hand he was holding. Relenting with a sigh, Wonwoo replicated Mingyu steps was now squatting beside the other male, pressed closely against Mingyu as he added nervously, “If it does, I am holding you accountable.”

Chuckling at the older’s words, Mingyu’s fingers shifted to the back of Wonwoo’s hand and began to guide Wonwoo’s hand towards the dog. It started off as small and quick strokes on the fur and Wonwoo who had squeezed his eyes shut out of fear or nervousness was surprised at the softness felt under his skin. The quick tentative strokes grew into confident strokes as hands were ran lightly down the length of the dog. 

Finally pulling away, Mingyu grinned at the surprised expression of his roommate who was staring blankly at this hand.

“So how was it hyung?” Mingyu, who gave a playful nudge in Wonwoo’s direction, grinned. Watching the husky look up once more, orbs meeting his and a slight twitch of its mouth in what seemed like a smile, he felt a little disappointed as the dog began to walk off, waving at the husky, Mingyu called out, “Bye little doggie…”

Wonwoo who stared at the retreating figure of the dog let out a shrug, “It’s not too bad, I guess.”

“See I told you~” Mingyu who grinned smugly at his little accomplishment as he poked Wonwoo lightly by his shoulder.

“Wipe that smug look off your face, Mingyu,” Wonwoo chuckled at the younger’s playful tactics aimed a light swat in the other’s direction.

“What smug look?”

“Stop playing innocent, you’re grinning like a fool and I did be blind if I can’t see that stupid grin on your face.”

“H-Hey!”

“And why are you out of class so early? Doesn’t high school afternoon classes end a lot later than this?”

“Long story, hyung. Long story.”

“Tell me about it- When we get back to the dorm.”  


“... Alright then. When we get back to the dorm.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyy! Chapter 3 is done! Barely finished it and hope that all of you will enjoy it. And Meanie moments only came at the end ;-; Not enough Meanie moments,cries. And now that we are done with the driest chapters, the fun's gonna start at the next chapter well if what he have planned out goes as what we planned since writer's block are ughhh. And you're curious about why things got angsty at the middle? Blame it on the after midnight angst feels, brains can't function right past midnight. Thank you for all the kudos ;3 And chapters will get progressively longer, it's a trend. cx /SENDS LOVE TO ALL OUR LOVELY READERS/  
> \- Nana & JR


	4. #004

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “God, Mingyu- You have long arms for a reason, so use them well.”
> 
> “Well I’m sorry.”
> 
> “Watch where you’re jabbing that finger- OMG, stop- Stop- It’s ticklish!”
> 
> “Oi- Oi- Oi oi oi! Don’t do that- Jeon Wonwoo, stop-”
> 
> “No- It’s called paying back.”
> 
> “That’s bully...ing- Stop- Ahahahahaha, stop it, please!”

“Kim Mingyu, what am I to you?” Wonwoo huffed as he entered the dorm.

“Huh? Oh, hey, hyung! You are… My roommate, my friend and the person who lends me your laptop,” a large smile was sent in Wonwoo’s direction as Mingyu looked up from the bright screen before him.

“Then why have you been ordering me to get your meals for these two days?” Wonwoo resisted the urge to fling the boxed lunch in Mingyu’s face and set the styrofoam box on the table instead.

“Because.” That was all Mingyu gave as a reason as he removed himself from his little warm hole under his blanket and moved towards his meal.

“Don’t play this game with me,” Wonwoo muttered, quickly grabbed the box away from the younger’s reach.

“Hyung, my food!” Mingyu cried out as he reached for the food held away from his grasp.

“Or more like the food I bought for you,” Wonwoo muttered before continuing, “Here’s the deal- For dinner, I want you to get yourself out of the room and have dinner with me at the cafeteria-”

“No,” Mingyu‘s reply came even before the older male could finish. Mingyu didn’t want to since he didn’t want to see the reaction of the school to the havoc he had wrecked in the simulation room two days ago.

“Alright then, I’m having this for myself,” Wonwoo twisted away from the other and opened up the packed meal.

“W-Wait! Fine! I’ll have dinner at the cafeteria- Just give me my lunch,” Mingyu, who panicked at other’s unexpected actions, quickly interjected.

“You promised, Mingyu,” Wonwoo who broke into a smile passed the box over to Mingyu. 

“Yea, just for the food.”

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* 

“Hyung, you lied,” Mingyu mumbled as he found himself being pulled around the campus for an impromptu tour and he had to say as much as he enjoyed the company of his room mate, Wonwoo was a really boring tour guide.

“No, I didn’t, I am letting you familiarize yourself with the academy’s environment,” Wonwoo waved off Mingyu’s complains as he continued to bring him around the the school.

“And why are we outside? It’s very warm, you know?” Mingyu trudged beside the older male, and continued to shoot his complaints. Being under the sweltering summer heat and and clothed in the wrong attire for the weather, the sweat that was turning his skin sticky was making him rather uncomfortable.

“Well, that must have sucked,” a voice from slightly ahead chuckled.

Eyes flickering to look in the direction of the voice, Wonwoo found himself staring at the familiar ombre purple haired male. A moment and it clicked within Mingyu - he was the person tidying the desk in the testing room a few days ago.

The ombre haired male, who had carefully detached himself from where he was squatting, made his way over to the other two, “A very sunny good afternoon to both of you.” 

“Hey, Jeonghan hyung,” Wonwoo chuckled at the elder’s greeting before commenting with a grin, “I see the sun’s not stopping you from gardening.”

“My babies deserve my undivided attention, plus I have some help too,” The ombre haired male gestured to the bright flowers standing proudly in a harmony of colours.

“Your helper would appreciate some help right now,” Came a gruff voice from the bend of the corner. Instead of seeing a person appearing round the bend, two heavy brown paper packages floated by, settling themselves by Jeonghan’s feet. 

Mingyu felt his jaw grow slack at the floating bags before he was greeted by the sight of a familiar face. He was that male talking to Jihoon few days back. 

“Ah! The fertilisers! Love you lots, Seungcheol,” Jeonghan broke into a full smile as he posed a quick heart with his arms before turning to Mingyu, “Meet Seungcheol, he’s my saviour- I mean imagine carrying these bags of fertilisers, it would have taken me half the day.”

“You better treat me to something good later for all the work I have done, you could have done this on your own you know,” The black haired male, Seungcheol chuckled as he walked over, dropping another brown bag he was carrying on the ground to before slinging a casual arm over the other’s shoulder.

“Please- You wanted to help. Furthermore, I am helping you work out, you can grow those guns out,” Jeonghan chuckled as he patted Seungcheol lightly on the arm.

“Will that impress you?” Seungcheol asked with a grin as he flexed his free arm, the muscles rippling beneath the thin cloth now translucent from the sweat.

“Hm…” Jeonghan put on a show as he tapped his chin lightly, shooting a sly smile, “Who knows?”

“And, uhm leader, entertain your juniors like a good senior you claim to be,” Jeonghan noticed at the unblinking stares of the younger males, quickly pushing Seungcheol away, widening the distance between the two.

“I am a good senior- You could have left you the last part. Ah- Wonwoo...” Seungcheol inclined his head in a small greeting towards the other before his gaze travelled over, settling over Mingyu, “And, Kim Mingyu, good day to both of you.What are both of you doing now?”

Mingyu did a double take, a serious composure had replaced the playful demeanor within seconds. It was a little intimidating to know that the older who had been joking around just a moment ago could radiate a sense of authority which commanded others to respect and not disobey.

“I am bringing Mingyu out for some fresh air and a tour around the campus,” Wonwoo offered a small smile as he tugged Mingyu closer to him. 

“Ah- That’s nice to hear, remember to bring him to your favourite spot,” Seungcheol nodded, his lips pulled into a soft smile.

“Yes, definitely,” Wonwoo broke into another smile at the mention of his ‘favourite spot’. Mingyu cast a questioning glance in the direction of the elder, his attention pulling back when he heard his name being called.

“I look forward to seeing you around, Mingyu,” Seungcheol sent a smile in Mingyu’s direction before he waved his hands, “Now, kids, run along before I rope you into helping me carry more bags of fertilizers.”

“That’s our cue to leave, see you around, hyung! Let’s go, Mingyu.” 

“Remember to visit my garden again, okay?”

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* 

“So, what is this favourite spot of yours?” Mingyu asked as he treaded carefully behind Wonwoo.

“O-Ouch- Hyung!” Mingyu whined when he felt his forehead contact something rough and hard before a hand guided him to lower his head as he continued to move forward.

“That must have heard, I’m sorry Mingyu but just a few more steps and we will be there,” Wonwoo’s fingers travelled to rub Mingyu’s forehead gently in a silent apology.

“You know you don’t have to do this,” Mingyu gestured to the hands cover his closed eyes as they continued in a slow pace towards the destination in mind.

“I don’t want you to peek and it isn’t like you’re the only one suffering- My arms feel like breaking already, why must you be so tall?” Wonwoo mumbled.

“Then just let me open my goddamn eyes and that way I won’t- W-Woah-” Mingyu felt his feet meeting the emptiness before him. Tittering forward, his arm flung out, grabbing wildly to find his hands grabbing onto something cool beneath his palms, something metal.

“I don’t trust you anymore, hyung,” Mingyu muttered with a sulk as he opted to shuffle along to reduce the risk of tripping over from another down step.

“We’re here!” Wonwoo announced, the smile was evident even in his voice. Mingyu felt the warmth over his eyes disappear. As he cracked his eyelids open, he blinked to get used to the sudden brightness which invaded his sight.

As his orbs adjusted to the environment around him, Mingyu found himself staring in awe at the gorgeous interior design of the small room he was being led to. In a corner was a large bean bag with some matching cushions lying around and on it. A long line of dangling polaroids spanned across the room. Walking over, Mingyu noticed some familiar faces in the photos - Chan, Seokmin, Jeonghan, Seungcheol, Jihoon and the others were still foreign to him. 

“Where is this? It’s really homey,” Mingyu asked as his cast another glance at the small stove and a wooden table by the other side of the room.

“My secret hideout,” Wonwoo smiled as he walked over to the bean bag before making himself comfortable within the pillows.

“Many know of this place but they don’t really know where it is,” Wonwoo continued as his eyes travelled around the room before looking at Mingyu.

“And as a commemoration, let’s take a polaroid together,” Wonwoo twisted to fish the camera out from its holder, gesturing for Mingyu to come over as he shifted to make space for the younger on the bean bag.

Once Mingyu settled himself beside the other male, he found the camera being handled to him. “Since you have longer arms, I think it would be easier if you do it.”

Eyes flickering down to look at the device in his hand looked up with a lost expression, “I don’t know how to use this.”

“Turn the lens to face us and press the button over here,” Wonwoo guided Mingyu’s finger over to the slightly indent where the button lay, “It’s simple like using the laptop.”

“Alright then-” Mingyu who raised the device and adjusted the len to face both of them, “Smile!”

With a bright flash, the polaroid was ejected from the top which Wonwoo helped to remove. Mingyu watched with curiosity as the opaque white faded to translucent before colours began to set in as the image formed.

“Omg, you’re really bad at this-” Wonwoo burst out into a laugh at the clear photo but the photo had half of Mingyu’s face cut off.

“Hey- It’s my first time using this alright?” Mingyu muttered defensively.

“I still have a few more films, so let’s try to get a nice shot,” Wonwoo shook his head as he set the photo aside.

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* 

“God, Mingyu- You have long arms for a reason, so use them well.”

“Well I’m sorry.”

“Watch where you’re jabbing that finger- OMG, stop- Stop- It’s ticklish!”

“Oi- Oi- Oi oi oi! Don’t do that- Jeon Wonwoo, stop-”

“No- It’s called paying back.”

“That’s bully...ing- Stop- Ahahahahaha, stop it, please!”

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* 

“We have wasted like half the polaroids here,” Wonwoo was now pressed against the younger as he went through the photos.

Two of the polaroids were completely black due to Mingyu’s finger blocking the flash and some were blurred due to the shaking laughter that both of them had sunk into while trying to take the shot. But there were some nice ones - Wonwoo’s nose scrunched up in a loud laugh, a nice view of Mingyu’s side profile which Wonwoo had secretly took when Mingyu was busy with the pillows.

“Just keep them for the memories,” Mingyu answered tiredly as he waved a hand before letting it down drop down by his side. It was the first time in his entire life did he ever laugh so hard or that much with someone and honestly, it felt really nice.

“This one’s the most decent out of the rest, I guess, I’ll just hang this up,” Wonwoo chuckled at the polaroid which he was holding - the very first one that they took. Placing the rest in the drawer of the desk, Wonwoo grabbed a peg and clipped it to the end of the the line.

“Come on, let’s go, it’s time for dinner-” Wonwoo tugged at Mingyu’s arm which the younger responded by rising slowly to his feet. 

Feeling the hands hover close to his eyes, Mingyu moved away instinctively, “What are you doing?”

“Covering your eyes-” Wonwoo replied simply before darkness engulfed the other’s vision.

“I swear if I trip, fall or hit something, I’m going to tickle you, I know your weak spots now, Jeon Wonwoo.”

“Be careful of what you say, Kim Mingyu. I know your weak spots too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Chapter 4 is a little later this week, and we are sorry about that. Hope that the chapter does not seem to dry or boring for you, Chapter 5 would be much better!
> 
> \- Nana & JR


	5. #004.5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You! The chicken stealer!” 
> 
> A loud cry which came to the right made Mingyu turn to see a silky short haired brunette pointing right at him with a plate of food balanced on the other free hand.
> 
> “E-Eh?” Mingyu managed to stutter out as he pointed to himself before looking down at his half-eaten fried chicken.
> 
> Watching at the other walk over to him with a loud demand, “Return me my chicken!”

“Wonwoo! Mingyu! Over here!” 

They heard their names as their heads turned to the direction of their names being called, and was greeted by a large gum smile visible from a distance away. Heading over to the table, they were greeted by another five more faces, some which Mingyu recognised instantly.

“Hyung! You have finally decided to come out for dinner,” Chan greeted Mingyu with a mouthful of food before flashing a grin, “At least Wonwoo hyung will stop complaining about you being an utter pai-mhmph--”

“That’s enough- Don’t speak while eating, Chan,” Wonwoo slapped a hand over Chan’s mouth and chided the younger lightly before setting his tray of food on the table beside him.

Just when Mingyu was about to ask the other three unfamiliar faces seat by the end of the table another voice cut cut across the table, “Why did no one tell me this is spicy?”

Soonyoung fanned himself vigorously as he took hold of the drink offered to him by a curly haired male seated beside him, gulping it down quickly.

“We did but you were all over how good the chicken looks when we tried pointing it out, hyung,” Chan pointed out as he handed the older a tissue which Soonyoung used to wipe off the sweat gathering on his temple.

“You could have restrained me or something!” Soonyoung whined as he fanned himself with his hands, attempting to cool down.

“Not like we didn't,” Seokmin rebutted, “And let me quote, ahem- Someone said that It’s ‘probably not as spicy as the description says’ when it was clearly stated ‘This chicken has been made with chilli five times spicier than the usual chilli’.”

“Fine, fine, my fault, it’s my fault! BUT! It’s still spicy… My tongue feels like it’s dying- Someone save me,” Soonyoung complained as he puffed out his cheeks, clearly not too happy about being on the losing end of the argument.

“I thought it was alright though...” The brunette seated opposite of the curly haired male commented as he popped another chicken into his mouth.

“Junhui, you live off spicy food, not me, same goes for Minghao and Mingming, all these people who like spicy food stop staring at me like that, I find it spicy alright?” Soonyoung lamented this as he took hold of Seokmin’s drink and began gulping it down and the younger simply stared at the older with a kicked expression.

“Ju-just let me get rid of the spiciness and I’ll get you another drink,” That seemed to be enough for Seokmin to turn back to his food.

“Might as well get Seungkwan to chill you tongue,” Seokmin suggested through a mouthful of rice.

“Diva Boo? He won’t cool my tongue, he will freeze it,” Soonyoung who seemed to had finally gotten rid of the persistent spiciness from his cavern, set the empty cup down as with a tired sigh.

Mingyu watched on as the other conversed, mildly confused by all the unfamiliar names and turned to Wonwoo for help, “Hyung, who’s Seungkwan? And What about Junhwee, Myungho and Myungmyung?” The unfamiliar language rolled off his tongue with much difficulty and that made Wonwoo chuckle as he gestured, “That’s Junhui-hyung, Minghao and the one at the end of the table is Mingming. They are all here on an overseas exchange programme.”

“Oh, I didn’t know this school has affiliations too- And what about Seungkwan?” Mingyu cast another glance at the trio who was now laughing along with the rest at Soonyoung’s stories and Seokmin’s inputs. 

“You’ll get to meet him later, I’ll introduce him to you then,” Wonwoo patted Mingyu lightly on the shoulder before resuming to having his meal.

“You! The chicken stealer!” 

A loud cry which came to the right made Mingyu turn to see a silky short haired brunette pointing right at him with a plate of food balanced on the other free hand.

“E-Eh?” Mingyu managed to stutter out as he pointed to himself before looking down at his half-eaten fried chicken.

Watching at the other walk over to him with a loud demand, “Return me my chicken!”

Flustered by the sudden turn of events, Mingyu looked around lost and to find the others seated looking rather amused with what was happening. 

“Your chicken? But I’ve bought it and eaten it-” Mingyu looked down at the meat before picking it up with his chopsticks to show the other his half eaten food.

“I don’t care- Seokmin, turn time back and let me get my chicken,” Doyoon who huffed indignantly as he headed towards Mingyu’s direction.

“Hyung, couldn’t you have predicted that something like this would have happened?” Seokmin questioned as he looked up from his meal.

“That was precisely the problem, I couldn’t read the future, there was something that was blocking my powers,” Doyoon grumbled before resting a hand on Seokmin's head, "Now kid, do what you need to do."

"Not happening, hyung," Seokmin mumbled through another mouthful of rice as he attempted to shake the hand off his head, "The last time you got Mingming-hyung to help you, your plan just flopped."

"Fine- I thought illusion could fool Seungcheol that his meat was still there. Whatever, what a bad dongsaeng, I don't need such a junior," Doyoon made a show by pushing Seokmin's head lightly before laughing as he ruffled the younger's hair gently.

"Alright- I'm hungry," Doyoon settled down next to Mingyu and chuckled at the stiff expression worn by the younger, " Relax, I won't eat you but I can't guarantee that for your remaining pieces of meat. And if there's one thing that we can bond is the same taste in good food."

That was enough to made Mingyu relax as he returned the fist bump and dug into his meal.

"H-Hyung! My meat..."

"I've warned you already- Your loss for not protecting it well."

"Why are all of you so mean to me?"

"It's called showing affection, Mingyu. You still have a lot to learn."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't update in time this week due to family issues that cropped up suddenly. And while attending to the family matters, I've managed to write a short side chapter as a make up for not being able to put up chapter 5 this week. I really apologise for not being able to update since I really have absolutely no access to wifi for the past few days until a few hours ago. And Doyoon is finally introduced along with Mingming and the China line asdfghjkl my favourite past members. I am not too sure about Doyoon but both Nana and myself have agreed that we both like Mingming a lot. This chapter may not be up to standard since my mood was in a mess back there so hopefully this side chapter turned out alright and you all would enjoy it!   
> -JR


	6. #005

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turning back to cast one last glance at the room, his eyes met Wonwoo's. 
> 
> 'Stay safe.'
> 
> Mingyu smiled at the unvoiced words of the elder, before giving a small nod, 'Yea, I will. Don't worry.' 
> 
> With that, Mingyu was pulled out of the room as the door swung shut behind him.

“Mingyu...”

“Five more minutes.”

“You said that exactly five minutes ago.”

“Hm, is that so? I don’t remember-”

“You don’t need to, just return it.”

“Hyuungggg, my game- How could you? I hate you, Jeon Wonwoo.”

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* 

“I can’t believe you did that, hyung,” Pouting, Mingyu flipped the glossy pages of the school magazine unhappily.

“It’s my laptop though,” Wonwoo who was now lying on his bed surfing the net commented dismissively.

“But you could have let me save my game, do you know how hard I manage to clear that dungeon? Now I have to restart the game again-” Mingyu muttered before tossing another glance at Wonwoo who gave a shrug at Mingyu’s whines.

“Save up and you have buy your own-” Wonwoo who paused momentarily to look at Mingyu before his eyes flickered back to the screen before him. 

“Yes, yes, you stingy old man,” Mingyu mumbled.

“And… It’s 4.45pm, we should get going,” Wonwoo who took a quick glance at the time by the bottom right hand corner of the screen, proceeded to close his laptop.

“No. I don’t want to,” Mingyu immediately pulled his cover over him, hiding in the cocoon of the cloth.

“Stop acting like a big baby, we need to go,” Wonwoo who had gotten off the rather comfortable position he was in bed and began to tug on the material covering the younger boy.

“You know they told me to rest- You can tell me I am still not feeling well-” Mingyu began to spout his excuses while attempting to keep the blanket over himself.

“Kim Mingyu, it has been four days- You have rested enough, played enough computer games and lazed around long enough in that bed of yours,” With an extra effort, the blanket was tugged off the younger boy.

“But...” Mingyu whined as he clutched onto the bedpost as Wonwoo began to pull him off the bed. Mingyu had dreaded the day to come where the analysis of his abilities were released and it didn’t help that it wasn’t his ability teachers who called to meet him but the principal of the school. 

“Mingyu, let’s go before I use my powers on you,” Wonwoo stared at the younger no longer amused by his stubborn resistance but Mingyu was too caught up in his own world to realise the look of disdain cast in his direction as he continued to ignore the older male.

Mingyu who mistakened the silence as Wonwoo relantal was only rudely shocked by the sharp buzzing sting slapped against his bare skin. Head lifting up, he spotted a reddened mark along his arm and his gaze immediately turned upon the older male to be greeted with what resembled a flexible cane made of flowing energy in Wonwoo's hand.

"Hyung! How could you? That hurts!"

"I gave you thirty seconds but you didn't move. Now let's go."

"No- And kiss my boo boo away-"

"With my cane? I will gladly-"

"W-W-Wait- On a second thought, let's go before we will be late."

Mingyu could only cast a dirty look at Wonwoo who was smiling widely at his little victory as the boys exited their dorm.

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* 

Mingyu found himself in the very room he was in less than a week ago. If there was anywhere more tense with the presence of the Principal, vice-principal of ability control and his ability teachers all within the same confined area, it would be right now in the principal room.

"Mingyu, how have you been?" Mingyu's head jerked up sharply at his name only to cast a stiff smile, "I have rested well and i believe I am better now."

"Ah, that's nice to hear," Ms Jang cast another smile in Mingyu's direction as she continued, "I have taken a look at your ability report and are you aware of your second ability?"

Mingyu raised a brow at the question as he asked, "By second, are you referring to my Electro-magnekinesis or Electrokinesis powers?"

"Ah, so you do know and to answer your question, it is your Electro-magnekinesis ability," Ms Jang nodded lightly before scribbling lightly on the paper before her.

"Electro-magnekinesis is my first ability, " Mingyu clarified before he added, "I guess I just don't use it as often as electrokinesis?" 

Mingyu watched the adults exchange glances as he caught murmurs of 'interesting...', 'intriguing-' fill the room before the silent conversation came to agreement which was followed for by a series of nods before the principal turned to Mingyu once more, “Let me finish up with your report before I address the other issue. Alright, Mingyu-ssi, from what we can gather from that burst of magnetic wave, your first ability is highly potent but under poor control, are you aware of that?”

“Yes, I am” Mingyu nodded at the analysis as the principal continued, “Is there a reason to why you preferred your second ability to your first? Since from what we know of second abilities, many would prefer using their first ability.”

That question made Mingyu hesitate, he didn’t know the answer to that question, but it was nice to know that he was once again another anomaly in the trend like the sore head sticking out in the sea of people. “I-... I really don’t know, maybe it’s because I have a feeling that I may not be able to control that power so I would rather not use it.”

“Mmm… I guess that would be enough, but from now on try to use it more often and get used to using it since it will one day come in useful,” Ms Jang nodded as she placed down the pen and passed the file to the ability teachers who filed out of the room once their purpose was done.

“Now that we are finally alone- Let’s begin,” Ms Jang rested her elbows lightly on the wooden surface as she leaned in closer to the student.

“Mingyu-ssi,” the call of his name made him look up, meeting the gaze of the principal, " I have a proposal for you, hear me out before you make a decision."

Seeing the student nod, Ms Jang continued, "I am not sure if you're aware of the conflict between mutants and human, but it has only gotten worse with each year, the treaty is slowly turning into another useless signed paper when the human government began to eliminate the free roaming mutants and we suspect training a group of humans, we can be sure if they are humans or mutants brainwashed to follow them but there is an army raised with the intention of a country wipeout of mutants. So, as an academy affiliated to the mutant community, we intend to train our own group of mutants. And in this school we have hand-picked a small number to be part of this group. We see potential in your abilities and would like you to consider about joining the group."

Processing what his principal had said, Mingyu cleared his throat as he asked, "What does this group do specifically?"

"Their task is simple, they would be broken up into smaller units and each time a mission task varying from rescuing the mutant captives to gathering information and eliminating these mutant executors," Ms Jang listed before adding after a short pause, "There are certain tests that you will need to pass to be accepted into this team."

"And if I don't?" Mingyu prompted to only receive a rather dreadful answer, "If you don't? You'll have your memories of this entire encounter wiped."

Falling silent at the the principal's words, Mingyu nodded silently, the options running through his head before he looked up to meet the principal's awaiting gaze as a grin tugged his lips," That sounds fun, I don't see why not."

Returning the smile, Ms Jang stood up to walk over to Mingyu who hastily mimicked the principal's actions. "The first test will begin today, as you wait for the mission details, you can join the other members back in the room for the moment."

"E-Eh?" Ah- Okay-" Mingyu felt his jaw go slack at Ms Jung's words before he nodded dumbly and exited the principal's office.

'This school really needs to learn to take things slow-' Mingyu grimaced as he gripped the doorknob to the waiting room

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* 

The moment Mingyu stepped in, he really thought he walked into the wrong room. It was only the sight of Wonwoo among the sea of faces which have turned to look at him as the door creaked open. Scanning the faces, he recognised a number of them and that made the tension which gripped Mingyu at the eyes upon him to disappear as he made his way carefully towards the ridiculously large group seated on and around the couch.

"Mingyu! How was the report?" Soonyoung piqued up from beside Jihoon with a grin as he grabbed a pillow to throw in Mingyu's direction.

"I guess it was alright other than having to use my Electro-magnekinesis ability more often to get used to it," Mingyu replied with a small grin as he chose to settle by Seokmin at the edge of the big group.

"Oh, Ms Jang said something about joining some team and mission- I am still not clear exactly but I guess I accepted it. I mean why not," Mingyu shrugged as he ran a hand through the soft material of the pillow.

As he looked up, Mingyu caught sight of the glances exchanged by the member before an exclaim broke the momentary silence, "See! My sight is correct. Stop saying that it isn't, old man. My ability is working perfectly well."

Doyoon swatted Seungcheol's leg and earned a disgruntle grunt as Seungcheol looked away clearly unhappy about being wrong.

"Who is he? Is he the boy who destroyed the simulation room?" another voice came across the group and Mingyu found himself staring at a male with red locks.

"Is that the only thing you can refer to him as?" The brunette with prominent features interjected.

"Well give me another name to refer to him as then," The redhead huffed as he retorted.

"The new kid?" 

"Seriously? That's lame."

"Well your's just hurtful."

"What? Mine has a focus. What are you-"

"Now, I guess since Mingyu has a possible chance of getting into the team, we should all do a formal introduction of ourselves," A tight smile was sent in the direction of the duo who almost immediately shut their trap at their leader's underlying threat.

"And we shall start with-"

"The oldest!" Before Seungcheol could even finish, a chorus cut him off abruptly as along with some smiles cast towards the middle of the room, mainly where the couch was.

"As a popular request by many, the leader shall start,” Jeonghan laughed as he patted Seungcheol by the shoulder to earn a grumble from the oldest of the group, “Like you are any younger than me anyways.”

“Choi Seungcheol and my power is... This-” Seungcheol flicked his wrist and the pillow within Mingyu’s grasp flitted out of his hands as it hovered mid-air. “Woah-” Mingyu made a grab for the pillow to have it teasingly held higher and it was only at a lurch of his body did the Mingyu manage to pull the pillow back into his grasp.

“Yo- It’s your food buddy here and my abilities are telepathy and clairvoyance,” Doyoon cast a wide grin in Mingyu’s direction as he watched in satisfaction at the younger’s eyes widening as his jaw grow slack. Doyoon’s mouth never broke from the smile on his lips but Mingyu could hear the older’s words resounding in the walls of his head. It seemed like Mingyu wouldn’t be getting much privacy with someone like Doyoon around and that thought made Mingyu grimaced slightly to be startled by Doyoon’s voice which was this time spoken out loud.

“I am a not being a creep. Why would I want to know what you are thinking about? I have better things to do than that. And yes I can read your thoughts.”

“If both of you can just calm down, I’ll introduce myself now,” Jeonghan who smoothly cut in flashed a bright smile in Mingyu direction before the younger could make a comeback, “As you already know, I’m Jeonghan, the angel to all plants and my ability is terrakinesis or in simple words earth manipulation.” 

After Jeonghan was Jisoo who Mingyu learnt of his other ability other than healing - photokinesis. And next was the chinese male he met during dinner a few days ago when Wonwoo dragged him out and his name began with Junhwee or something along those lines, he introduced his powers as air manipulation. And as they went around the group, Mingyu was bombarded with abilities to match with their names and he was still unsure of the names to the two foreign faces of the group despite the around of introduction. And by the time they came to Chan, Mingyu mind was thoroughly worn but none the less pleased to get to know more people who believed were too Wonwoo’s friend since he remembered seeing their faces hanging from the nylon line across Wonwoo’s little hide out when they visited a few days back.

It wasn’t too long after did the Principal entered the room armed with a brown paper folder and the noisy group quickly settled down to turn their attention upon the principal. “I am glad to see that all of you are bonding well as a team and as you all might have already guessed, Mingyu will be on probation for the next few weeks to test if he is worthy and capable of being in this team. Today, we will commence his first evaluation - the unit evaluation,” Ms Jang announced as she looked up from the paper in hand to scan the serious faces looking back at her as she spoke.

“Firstly, I’ll announce the two other members going along with Mingyu for this mission task before I go in depth with the other details. Boo Seungkwan and Hansol Vernon Chwe, both of you have been selected to work with Kim Mingyu for this mission, the reason being that both of you have a better grasp on getting around the area and the people that we will be dealing with in this mission.”

From the corner of his eyes, Mingyu spied both of them sharing a glance before turning back to look at the principal. Mingyu couldn’t deny that he was disappointed to be working with the two other boys, he was going to be off on his first task with two utter strangers but if that was what he was offered with, he didn’t have much of a choice but accept it.

“We have found some leads that Necron has already secured the old site with the intention to retrieve the first batch of test subjects. As such. the task for the three of you is to rescue this batch of mutants which our sources have told us to be around the age of sixteen to twenty-two and bring them back to the academy. Is there any questions on your mission for tonight?” Ms Jang proceeded to close the file as her eyes traveled from the duo to Mingyu. 

“I do, will there be reinforcements sent it we are met with an unforeseen danger?” Seungkwan proceeded to voice his inquiry with the raise of his hand.

“Don’t worry, I’ve read ahead to the future the possibility of meeting some unforeseen trouble is around 30%,” Doyoon reassured the younger with a small smile.

“We will have the reinforcement team on stand by, and if that’s all, you are dismissed,” Ms Jang inclined her head in a brief thank you before exiting the room.

The silence of the room was soon broken with some member stretching out from the stiff position they had been in while others stood up to shuffle to the door. Mingyu guessed that those who were leaving were those that were not part of this mission’s back up team. 

“Alright- Now where’s the remote control?” Seungcheol’s whose legs sprawled out, barely missing Doyoon in front of him stretched to the side where the wooden side desk was.

“Late night job again- Now what movie should we watch?” Doyoon chuckled as he crawled up from his original position to drop himself in the empty seat beside Jisoo on the couch, “I don't understand why I am needed when there is something called the walkie talkie.”

As the back up team continued their banter on the couch, Mingyu found himself being led away by Seungkwan along with Hansol with the red head blabbering something about not wanting to take the cab to reach the destination.

Turning back to cast one last glance at the room, his eyes met Wonwoo's. 

'Stay safe.'

Mingyu smiled at the unvoiced words of the elder, before giving a small nod, 'Yea, I will. Don't worry.' 

With that, Mingyu was pulled out of the room as the door swung shut behind him.

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* 

"You want me to what?" The wet haired male fresh out of the shower did a double take at the request.

"Send us to the backstreet of the HQ." 

"Absolutely not."

"Please, hyung?" Seungkwan rubbed his palms in a plea, and Mingyu couldn’t be sure if Seungkwan was trying to pull the wide eye puppy look to convince the older male.

"I just got out of the shower, doing this means I'll have to shower again..." Seomin sighed as he ran achand through his wet hair.

"Just do it for your dongsaengs, Seokmin," The another voice cut in with a chuckle. Mingyu felt his jaw grow slack at the sight of the other male who came into the room dressed only in sweatpants, bare chested and a towel hanging from around his neck.

"Please? For us? just this once?" Seungkwan nodded vigorously.

The older contemplating for a little longer before relenting with a long sigh, "Fine, fine. So where's this backstreet again?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another late update ;A; We are so so sorry!! We promise to update as quickly as we can but there maybe weeks where there may not be any updates ;A; However, do tell us in the comments how you feel about this chapter!! Feedback is always welcomed!!
> 
> \- Nana & JR


	7. #006

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu, who had shuffled closer to the edge, peered downwards in hope to get a gauge of how deep the opening was from the base of the metal tunnel. But all he could see was a bottomless pit of darkness. Hesitantly, Mingyu called out to the younger below, "Seungkwan, how deep is this exactly?"
> 
> "Enough to bruise but not deep enough to kill."

Mingyu wondered if Alice felt the same when she fell down the rabbit hole as he found himself no longer floating in nothingness but deposited nicely onto the gravel below his feet.

Being teleported felt like he was sucked down a black hole and popped back out, which was a surprisingly smooth ride in the empty darkness. He also had to admit that it was a pretty nice ride, much more comfortable than he had expected.

"Now that my job is done, I shall get going," Seokmin appeared behind the younger male, resting his hand by his hip.

"Thank you, hyung," Seungkwan cast a grateful glance at the older male as Hansol and Mingyu threw in their 'thank you's.

"You all owe me one, good luck with the mission!" With a wave, Seokmin disappeared into the dark portal which closed up behind him.

Turning his gaze upon the building before him, his orbs took in the rundown state of the building. The once supposedly grand building has its glorious title stripped, and it was diminished to a dilapidated state before him. The fine paint coated over the surface had began show signs of wear and tear as paint chips began to peel off revealing the dull grey concrete beneath. "Uh... Are you sure we are at the right location?" Mingyu uttered as his eyes shifted to look at the two next to him. He didn't expect the area they were heading to, to be this rundown. In fact, it was a stark contrast to what he had in mind of a heavily secured area with armed guards everywhere.

"Definitely," Seungkwan who looked up to the building ahead, "We can't possibly forget this place."

The unrecognizable note in Seungkwan’s tone heightened the tall male's curiosity.

"Home sweet home huh?" Hansol spoke up this time, his tone wistful.

"Yeah. Welcome home."

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:*

It came as a surprise for Mingyu to find two more test subjects who were subjected to vastly different treatment from himself. It puzzled Mingyu but the male kept quiet as he listened to Seungkwan chatter about his life as a test subject with Hansol occasionally throwing in his two cents worth. However, the more that was revealed to Mingyu, the more confused he got. There seemed to be many missing pieces to what information he knew.

"Wait- I don't understand, so this organization we are getting rid of is a governmental organization?" The confused male suddenly spoke up before continuing, "Isn't that an impossible-"

"No no no!" Seungkwan cut Mingyu off with a dramatic drawl to his words as he wagged his finger at the other before continuing, "Now, that's where you are wrong. Let me do the honours of explaining. The group we want to get rid of is an ex-government organization which was demolished a while back due to the cruelty and corruption going on. However some of the members took away some of the test subjects with the intention of overthrowing the current justice system. This place used to be the building for movement of mutants, the new organization is now called Necron and their functioning site is further off, near the edge of the city."

"Aah... I see..." Mingyu mumbled. It sort of made sense of how Mingyu didn't recall anything much about dull grey walls and metal shackled chains.

"Ack-”

“Pay attention to where we are going. Besides, we're here," Mingyu stopped abruptly at the announcement, eyes scanning his surroundings for an entrance to the building but only to find none. He watched the brunette stoop down, fingers wrapping around the metal grills before heaving the object up, revealing a narrow entrance with pitch black darkness ahead.

"Our one way ticket into hell," Seungkwan chuckled as he leaned forward as though inspecting the opening in the ground.

"Uh... I am pretty sure I won't fit," Mingyu grimaced as he looked at the tight space below him. The very thought of having himself confined in a small area was less than appealing.

"Now that you mention it, doesn't it look smaller than before?" Hansol mused.

"Whatever the case, this is the only route in so we should get going before anyone sees us," Seungkwan crouched down as he shuffled closer to the opening. With a swift push, the male disappeared and what sounded like the resounding reverberation of metal sounded from below. 

Mingyu, who had shuffled closer to the edge, peered downwards in hope to get a gauge of how deep the opening was from the base of the metal tunnel. But all he could see was a bottomless pit of darkness. Hesitantly, Mingyu called out to the younger below, "Seungkwan, how deep is this exactly?"

"Enough to bruise but not deep enough to kill."

"How helpful," Mingyu deflated at the ambiguous answer given. Noticing a hovering presence from behind, Mingyu turned to notice the brunette directly behind him, the proximity between them close to an uncomfortable distance for mere acquaintances.

"Hansol, what are you-"

"Giving you a little help." 

All Mingyu caught was a smile too wide before the blue haired male felt himself falling forward, arms flailing as he grabbed at the empty air.

The stunned male landed pancake style on the cold metal flooring could feel the surface beneath him vibrate at his weight. A groan escaped his lips as Mingyu shifted an arm to prop himself up. The impact was bone shaking, he could feel the pain gripping at his bones, making him instantly sore with no motivation to move from his face flat position.

"Incoming!"

With a grunt, Mingyu managed to roll his body aside, the landing feet missing his body by mere inches. A relieved sigh escaped his lips as the brunette shifted into a sitting position, not a least bit affected by how he could have possibly flattened Mingyu had the older not rolled away quickly.

The space below was surprisingly spacious with enough space by his side but the tunnel ahead lacked the height for Mingyu to even crawl on his fours, reducing the male to go onto his elbows and knees. With Seungkwan leading and Hansol bringing up the end, the three advanced forward into the darkness save for the hovering flickering flame in front of them, illuminating a distance as far as one metre from sight.

"Hey Hansol."

"Hm?"

"Are we going the right direction?"

"Huh? How would I know? Weren't you the one who oh so proudly claimed to know the way around?"

"O-Of course! I do know the way! I am just checking! Better safe than sorry, right?"

Barely five minutes in the building and the trio are possibly lost.

How lovely.

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:*

It took the three a good thirty minutes of advancing and backtracking to figure their way to their destination. After all that crawling, Mingyu could feel the skin beneath his elbows burning from the friction due to the constant rubbing of his elbows with the metal. It was barely the start to the mission and Mingyu was undeniably drained. Now crouched by a vent in the ceiling, the three waited in the hushed silence, watching intensely for any passing staff or security member. 

"I think it's safe." Hansol signalled to the others. Seungkwan took the cue and immediately unlatched the metal mesh, swinging himself downwards. With constricted vision, Mingyu could only see an empty hallway but he could hear a startled yelp, frenzied shuffling of feet, garbled warnings fading into echoed noises before silence settled over once again. Seeing the redhead appear once more in his vision of sight, another signal was given, and the two males hiding in the vent clambered out of their uncomfortable hiding spot.

Using the edge to lower himself down, Mingyu dropped lightly down to the white linoleum floor to find two security guards encased in blocks of ice with relatively uncomfortable facial expressions. Surveying his surroundings, Mingyu noted how the the interior was a stark contrast to the rundown and uncared state the exterior appeared to be. Walking over to where the duo crouched, he found them arguing over yet another matter.

“You are aware that we need the pass to get past the security here, do you?” Hansol gestured to the plastic card tucked safely in the shirt pocket of the security guard frozen in the ice.

“Of course, you can just use your fire to melt my ice and get the pass, can’t you?” Seungkwan retorted indignantly.

Hansol who opened his mouth, lips forming the start of his words before they came out in a long string. He pressed a hand against the ice block beside him, warning his partner, “If I turn him into a burning potato, I will not hold myself accountable. And Mingyu-hyung, can you come here?”

Following the direction Hansol gave him, Mingyu found himself positioned in front the security guard. Watching the blue flames flicker to life and engulf the ice block, Mingyu was amazed. The ice melted rapidly upon contact with the blue flames, and at such a close proximity, he could feel and even see the heat against his skin.

“Mingyu!” Attention drawn away from the heat, he heard Hansol give out the next set of instructions.

“Punch!”

Thrusting out his fist, Mingyu found his knuckles contacting the jaw of the guard, successfully knocking the daylights of him. Seungkwan immediately reached out to snatch the security pass off the passed out security guard and hovered the pass over a small pad on the wall, waiting patiently before slipping the pass back into his pocket as a small ‘beep’ sounded, followed by the metal doors opening.

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:*

Inviting themselves into the room, Mingyu could feel the slight drop in the temperature as his eyes worked to adjust to the darkness that they shrouded in. It didn't take long for Mingyu to get used to the darkness especially when the transparent tubes filled with glowing white liquid surrounded the otherwise bare room. Walking closer to the nearest tube, Mingyu peered in, only to catch a glimpse of a head of green locks, fair skin and soft features that rested in a look of deep sleep. Looking at the description panel before the tube, a portrait of the current sleeping body along with a long chunk of tiny lettering astounded the male. Within the transparent confines was the body of test subject 000000 - Min Yoongi a.k.a Suga. Further on, in similar black font, was a description of their background and abilities. In finer print, Mingyu read the words, ‘Generation One’, causing his eyes to widen significantly, talk about ancient, they are practically antiques already.

“So… Which button am I supposed to push?” Mingyu pulled his gaze away from the lines of neat words as his hand hovered across the neat line of coloured buttons protruding from the panel.

“Blue and flick the flip switch down,” Hansol instructed. The older male followed as he heard the sound of buttons and switches being pressed and flipped respectively. Following the given instructions, Mingyu watch as the glowing luminous liquid emptied itself from the container, revealing the sleeping figure of the short green haired male. Approaching the other cautiously, Mingyu removed the limp body from the support, feeling coolness of the slimy liquid against his hands. Once the body was detached from the metal support, Mingyu scooped the other in a bridal hold before bringing the sleeping body out of the confines of the container.

Quickly and efficiently, the trio manage to get the five sleeping figures out of their respective containers. A hand resting against the wall, Mingyu glanced at the five unconscious figures sprawled out on the floor. “Please tell me that there is some sort of transport to help us to get them back,” Mingyu found himself groaning at the very idea of having to support the unconscious bodies all the way back to the academy that was so far away.

“We can always call for the backup team to help us or phone Seokmin-hyung to get a lift back to school, although i think hyung won’t be too happy,” Seungkwan contemplated between the options they had before continuing, “Why don’t we move them out of the building to somewhere safer first?”

“Good idea.”

The suggestion earned the approval of the other two as the trio began to heave the unconscious bodies towards the open metal door ahead.

As they approached, the door beeped and slid shut right before Seungkwan could bring the unconscious female out.

The air within the room stilled as wide eyes scanned the area for the source of the sudden closing of the metal doors. The three pairs of eyes met one another warily as they froze in their original positions, unmoving. It was about a few heartbeats later did Seungkwan pull out the entrance card, bringing it towards the security pad.

“Just what I am looking for,” a voice echoed in the enclosed area as the black card was plucked out of Seungkwan’s grip, dangling in mid air. 

“Thanks~ I have been looking for this,” Against the darkness revealed a of cheshire-like grin before a slim tall male appeared inches away from where Seungkwan stood, causing the red haired male to instinctively shuffle backwards to set a safe distance between himself and the mysterious male.

“Now would you do me the greatest favour and hand me those subjects?” The set of pearly white teeth flashed at them as the tall male gestured towards the sleeping bodies.

The question was met with unrelenting stares from the trio before the silence was filled with a bemused chuckle, “Aw how mean to not share them with me. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Clearly, you guys want to play, then why not, let’s have fun~”

As soon as the last word left the male’s lips, the spot where he stood was completely empty. Mingyu felt himself tense up as he released his hold on the wrist of the brown haired subject, lowering himself into a defensive position. A choked gasp echoed by his right as he saw Hansol flying back to hit the metal wall as an invisible force propelled him backwards.

“Oi stop playing dirty and fight us head on,” Seungkwan got agitated at the sight of his partner getting punched by an invisible force called out into the silence.

“I am,” the cool answer came as the tall man appeared once more, blocking the punch sent his way by the red head. 

“It’s just the difference of standards.”

That was enough for Seungkwan to send a few ice bolts in the other’s direction. However, it was much to their horror as the ice bolts passed through the male as though he was not even there. 

“Well I be damned, he is a twin ability user,” Hansol cursed under his breath as he got back onto his feet with the help of the wall.

“Ooh smart kid, you deserve a gold medal,” The male crowed as he raised a leg to high kick Seungkwan, sending the red head flying backwards before he could release another flurry of attacks.

Hansol rushed forward to swing a punch at the male, his fist glowing like a burning splint, the flame burning an earthly blue. The punch never landed at its intended area as it was blocked by the wrist of the other male, who swung hi wrist upwards to push the blow away from his body, avoiding the fire by millimetres.

Taking the distracted disposition the enemy was in, Mingyu cast a crackling ball of electricity right towards the male, only to watch in frustration as his attack went right through the male, dissipating against the metal walls.

With eyes following the enemy, Mingyu sent out his attacks, dodging the blows from the invisible male. Just then, a thought clicked in Mingyu’s head, shifty eyes watching the male tiring out the 98 duo by forcing them to use their powers repeatedly in hopes of trying to drain them.

Running forward, Mingyu raised a clenched fist up, pulling back as he hollered, “Hansol, duck!” Mingyu thrust his fist forward with the brunette swerving to the side, watching the eyes of the enemy widen, hands moving up as though to block the attack.

He knew it. The flaw in the male’s ability. It occurred for every possible ability, and the more abilities one had, the more flaws his abilities would have. It looked like the intangibility user could allow everything to pass through him, with the exception of human flesh.

Sad to say, Mingyu’s fist never found its contact as the male found himself being sent backwards, his shoulder blades crashing into the cool metal hard at a high height before he dropped on the ground, body sore and throbbing.

Eyes flickering over, he spotted another dark haired male standing right by the enemy, whose hands were frozen before his face in defense.

“Shin? Thank you my dear friend~” Another grin tugged the enemy’s lips as he lowered his arms.

“Don’t ‘Shin’ me, Takuya,” came the irritated reply from the black haired male who was addressed as Shin.

“You were taking too long so we have to come check on you,” Shin tsked raising a hand to deflect the incoming elemental attacks sent his way, each attack rebounding off the invisible force field surrounding Takuya and himself, sending them back with an equal force at the original users. Because of this, Mingyu nearly got fried by his own electricity. He exhaled a shuddering breath as he could smell the slight burn of where his electricity hit the metal.

“I ran into some trouble, but as you can see, I held out pretty well myself, don’t you think?” Takuya bantered with his unamused partner.

“So nearly getting your face smashed is holding out well?” A new voice came from above. Mingyu glanced upwards, the darkness enabling him to make out three more silhouettes against the night skies.

“Shin, we’re tired of waiting, let us have some fun too.” The chorus of agreement came after the lament as the three boys made a ruckus up ahead.

Glancing at the other two to see how they were holding up,they looked ruffled up from being thrown around by the enemies. Mingyu could sense the traces of exhaustion of their abilities from the other two, and he could feel his own fatigue setting in slowly, which could be partially due to the ungodly hour the fight was set in.

He could have been back in the comforts of his bed in the academy, asleep.

He could be dreaming about his next lunch order.

But he was here, tired out and roughened up from the fight.

“Do whatever you want, young blood, I am too old for this,” Shin shrugged as he walked away calling out how he would transport the subjects back himself.

A hooting cheer came from above as Mingyu saw a bolt rushing down. He raised a hand instinctively to deflect the oncoming blast of energy with his electricity. The overwhelming force nearly sent the male backwards, with him barely holding his place at his spot, Mingyu felt his heels dig harder into the metal flooring, trying to withstand the impact of the attack.

Gritting his teeth, Mingyu glanced upwards to see a cocky male standing before him, a lazy smirk curving his lips, stance relaxed, a mass of energy swirling around his right hand, waiting to attack Mingyu once again. 

“Hey there, small fry. Time to play.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaa hello c: it's nana and jr here !! we are really really really sorry about this very very long wait before this chapter came out ;;; i (jr) have been out of the writing mood for the longest time and a possible heads up for you guys, updates will be probably be really really slow considering how school has been the loveliest devil these year ;;; we promise to update as frequently as we can! and NOTE: there is a slight change made to chapter 5 to make it fit chapter 6 better ! it's not too big of a change so it's fine to not reread the chapter ! once again, thank you for supporting kairos and all the comments and kudos makes us really really happy !! other than that, have an amazing day ahead !  
> \- nana & jr


	8. #007

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hyung, please be gentle,” Mingyu started cautiously as the orange head moved over to treat his wounds. 
> 
> “I’m always gentle what do you mean? I am the one and only gentle Josh, just like a docile deer,” Jisoo chuckled as he placed a palm over the gash on the male’s cheek.

The sudden clatter of metal hitting the floor rang out from a distance, blending in with the sharp sound of the sharp metals clashing on the screen with the two leads battling it out on a sword match.

"Doyoon...?" Eyes still glued to the intensive battle on the bright screen, Seungcheol called out distractedly.

No response.

Sensing that something wasn't right, the eldest quickly pushed himself off the sofa, the pillow in his lap falling to the floor as he moved towards the wooden door leading to the other room. 

The metal bowl of popcorn sprayed messily across the tiled flooring, the male who had offered to get the group more popcorn stood by the counter, a hand gripping the marble edge, other pressed against his head.

"Yoon!" Seungcheol called out, alarmed, as he rushed to the other's side.

The sound of muffled footsteps signalled the arrival of the rest as they peered in anxiously, the showdown of the two main leads on the television screen left forgotten behind them.

"H-Hurry," Doyoon who seemed to have calmed down and got to his senses, signalling to the rest with a trembling hand. He reached out to grasp Seungcheol’s arm, only to gasp out a few words.

"The boys-" Doyoon continued, eyes wide and shaking, "They are in danger."

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* 

Mingyu felt another jolting pain travel up his back as he collided once again with the metal walls of the wrecked room. His hands which pressed against the metal was charred from taking the repeated blows from the ability users. Reluctantly, Mingyu pushed himself back onto his twos, feeling his feet groan, threatening to collapse beneath him. He hated to admit it, but by he was nowhere as trained as his enemy was in combat or the wielding of his abilities.

"Tired already?" A loud voice sounded, the owner of it trying to provoke his enemy. Mingyu found himself grimace at the arrogance laced in the male's tone, wishing to fry the male to crisp with his electricity. Calling for the electricity, he felt the energy gather upon his command, drawn from the wires running through the room. Pushing himself off, he sped towards the grinning male, his arm swinging back to release the ball of electricity. However, as he neared the male, Mingyu suddenly dropped his stance, dissipating the ball of electricity as his other free arm swung out to catch his enemy's abdomen. The surprise attack knocked the male flat on his back. Wasting no time, Mingyu attacked, bruised knuckles contacting the sharp jawline, another punch landed squarely on the other's cheekbone but before Mingyu could continue his flurry of attacks, he felt an invisible force kicking him backwards on his chest. Barely finding his footing on the floor, Mingyu saw a tall figure walk back towards his enemy. Takuya extended his hand to his blond-haired counterpart who was sprawled on the floor, who got up sporting a split lip and bruised cheeks which blemished his fair skin.

"Thanks, hyung."

"Can't have my cute junior dying on me, can't I?" With a wink the male was gone, leaving Mingyu to face the energy blast dude once again. 

"Quite a tough one aren't you?" The smirk was still there as he swaggered towards Mingyu, spitting a loose tooth and some blood to the ground.

"Glad to be of service," Mingyu taunted the male with a fake bow. His reply was enough to challenge the other who snorted before both sides clashed, his bright white electricity against the blinding yellow energy orbs. Looking past the male, he spied Hansol and Seungkwan dancing around the other opponents, bruised but holding up far better than he was. Thinking of how to defeat his enemy, Mingyu thought that he needed to cut off the source as to where the male was drawing energy from.

As he dodged from the moving yellow orbs, Mingy spotted his enemy’s power supply. Similar to how Mingyu extracted electricity from the building, his opponent absorbed energy from the endless supply of electricity flowing through the building. Eyes scanning his surroundings rapidly, Mingyu spotted what look like a metal box mounted on the wall with the sign 'high voltage', which was located by the door on the other end of the room. Feeling the heat of the blast skim by, hot against his face, his gaze snapped back to the blond male, "Keep your eyes on me or I'll be jealous."

Ducking down, Mingyu darted off, ignoring the taunts following him from behind as his enemy followed closely. Upon reaching the other side of the room, Mingyu drew his fist back, allowing the electricity to surround his fist before releasing it hard against the metal box. The heat of his electricity melted through the thin metal box, travelling easily past the thin protective layer of metal, reaching the wires that were kept inside. Turning around to check on the approaching male, Mingyu saw his opponent’s look of horror as he realised what the blue-haired male was trying to do. Desperate to keep the male away, Mingyu thrusted a hand out, feeling the magnetic fields shifting under his command, pushing the male away like an invisible attack. Using the time he had gained for himself, Mingyu dug his fingers into the mechanics, pulling out the wires from the box before sending the remaining amount of electricity he had gathered into the copper lengths, blowing the entire system, causing the entire room to sink into complete darkness as the neon glow provided by the machines was cut off. 

Backing off, Mingyu could feel his hand still buzzing from his reckless action. Glancing around and all he saw was the glow of blue from Hansol's flame dancing around, a sign that his short manipulation of the magnetic field did not knock anyone out.

"Fucking killjoy," Mingyu heard the male growled as he got back on his twos, still shaken from the impact of being rudely greeted with a magnetic field that pushed him backwards. The shorter male charged forward, impact knocking Mingyu flat on his back. Without wasting anytime, the blond male wrapped his fingers around Mingyu's neck in a choke hold. Hands flying instinctively to grab the fingers around his neck, in a weak attempt to claw them away while fighting for another breath of air for his oxygen deprived lungs.

Hazy eyes spotting a shimmer of metal in the dark, Mingyu found himself grimacing as he registered the switch blade in the other's hand. Seeing the blade swing downwards, Mingyu fought against the sudden heaviness hanging from his body, barely avoiding the polished metal as the metal met with the cement flooring. As quick as the first blow had been dealt, the blade was raised once more, aiming for Mingyu once again. Being a fraction too late, Mingyu felt the tip of the blade carve into his cheek, pain blossoming but stopped abruptly as though someone had snatched the metal away and the weight on his disappeared almost simultaneously. 

Eyes pried open, Mingyu’s gaze landed on the male who now levitated above him, the blade tugged away from the male’s grip and floating along side with the male. Scrambling up, Mingyu’s gaze landed on the dark figures standing by the door.

“Didn’t your mama tell you it’s dangerous to play with knives?” A familiar voice rang through the room as four familiar figures came into sight. Seungcheol had his hold on the energy blast dude, before promptly sending him back speeding towards the metal walls, rendering him unconscious. The knife was tossed to the slim Chinese male beside him, who turned the iron blade into dust upon contact.

“Hyung!” The relieved call from Seungkwan rang out before it was closely followed by a grunt as the man with bone claws threw in a sharp swipe at Seungkwan’s distraction. But the claws never quite reached the redhead who barely danced out of the way, but instead the sharp claws began to bend inwards as though something was forcefully tying them together before snapping off all together due to extreme pressure. The claws growing from the male’s knuckles now stood as short blunt stubs, the destruction of his weapon done by the courtesy of the black shadow whip of Jeon Wonwoo.

“Junhui, Jihoon,” Seungcheol called to the two males beside him. They nodded at the untold message passed between the three. Signalling for all the boys to cover their ears, Mingyu placed his hands over his ears, muffling out all sounds around him and he watched Jihoon who open his mouth in a silent scream causing the three enemies within the room to drop to the floor like a bag of potatoes. Still unsure of what had exactly happened, Mingyu looked at the unconscious opponents that littered the floor, dead asleep in an instant despite their efforts to defeat them.

Feeling his ears clear, Mingyu shook his head to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling. 

“Is everyone alright?” 

The 98 duo ambled over, nodding slightly. Through the semi-darkness, Mingyu spied that Hansol got himself a badly split lip, with some darkened patches of blue and black scattered on his arms and probably more hidden beneath his clothes. Whereas Seungkwan had scratches all over his body, his clothes tattered from the bone claws of the other user. But, they were otherwise all good. 

“Alright, it seems like two of the first batch of testees have been taken,” Jihoon surveyed the three remaining sleeping bodies lying near the door of the room. 

“It’s fine, they have done a pretty good job at putting up a good fight against those Necron boys,” There was a crack of a smile on the face of the oldest before he signalled, “Let’s get the testees and head back.”

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* SVT ✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:* 

“Hyung, please be gentle,” Mingyu started cautiously as the orange head moved over to treat his wounds.

“I’m always gentle what do you mean? I am the one and only gentle Josh, just like a docile deer,” Jisoo chuckled as he placed a palm over the gash on the male’s cheek. Feeling a hot burn searing into his flesh, Mingyu instinctively moved backwards in futile, as someone held his head steady throughout the process. Glaring at Wonwoo, the older male just gave a ‘it’s for your sake’ shrug. Mingyu sighed as the palm left his cheek, the wound miraculously gone. No blood, no scar, nothing.

“Thank you, Hyung!” Mingyu continued enthusiastically as he jumped to his feet quickly, patting the older male on his back in gratitude before heading towards the door of the infirmary in the academy. However, Mingyu was stopped by a black haired male dressed in a pristine white coat. The male’s large eyes scanned the blue-haired male thoroughly before calling out to Jisoo. “Jisoo ah, this boy here has a large bruise on his lower back, please take care of it. And his hamstrings too, they are strained.” 

Swallowing back a groan, Mingyu was made to sit back down by his roommate as his shirt was lifted to reveal the sore bruise which he had gotten from being hit by an energy orb back at the abandoned building.

As Jisoo raised his hand to heal Mingyu again, the younger could only sigh.

_Here it goes, the pain, again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHAHHA hello yall we are all still alive in fact we wrote this chapter out pretty early but because i have been dragging out on uploading this chapter, chapter 7 ended up late as heck ;;;; school has been disgustingly busy, both nana and myself are drowning (send your lifeline, save us from this eternal school crisis) but i hope you have enjoyed this chapter !! we plan to continue this series of course but updates will be SLOWWWWWW so i apologise for the late replies ;-; please continue to stay with us on this rollercoaster of a story (or well when trying to write it at least) and comments are always welcomed !! your kudos are received with heartfelt thanks !!!! having an amazing day ahead !! love yall a lot for reading our story c: thank youuuuu
> 
> \-- tsukki c:

**Author's Note:**

> Novice writers here to satisfy our needs of a power au! and our seventeen feels. The first chapter's done and tell us how you feel and maybe give us some feedback? We have already drafted out chapter 2, and maybe we will have it up soon. Hopefully chapter one isn't a bore and you all have enjoyed it!
> 
> \- Nana & JR


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